If you are looking for the ultimate way to use up a bumper crop of summer tomatoes, this classic Tomato Pie is the comforting recipe you need. Ripe, juicy tomato slices are layered with fresh basil and baked under a velvety, golden cheese crust to create a slice of summer that will have everyone running to the table!
My favorite tomato pie recipe for fresh tomato season!
I’m really not sure if tomato pie is some 90s church cookbook recipe that’s now long forgotten, or if people actually still make it. Or maybe I’m just getting old now, because yes, I do make it 🤣
I will admit, it’s quite a rich dish. And I’m in no way someone who just LOVES mayonnaise, not at all. But somehow, it just works here.
There’s a pie crust (and we keep the bottom of the crust crisp by adding a layer of mozzarella cheese before we add the tomatoes), there is a juicy tomato/onion/basil layer for the ultimate summer garden flavor, and a creamy-cheesy topping.
This tomato pie is incredibly easy to assemble, the only tricky part is getting the topping spread out over the tomatoes – but it’s much easier if you drop it in spoonfuls first and then spread it out. I also like to put a few tomato slices on top of the mayo mixture, because it makes the pie that much prettier.
We like to eat it warm, with a side of salad greens with a white balsamic vinaigrette or homemade Italian dressing. To us, this is summer in a pie dish – 90s community cookbook approved 😉
These are the ingredients I use
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
- Tomatoes: This pie is only as good as the tomatoes are, so make sure you use ripe and flavorful, but not too soft tomatoes. I like to use Roma tomatoes here. Regular tomatoes work, too. I have even made it with halved cherry tomatoes, but Romas are my favorites in this recipe.
- Pie crust: In the summer, I will admit that I often use a store-bought crust because I don’t have as much time to spend in the kitchen. However, it’s even better with a homemade pie crust if you’re in the mood for a little extra work!
- Mayonnaise: Use a brand you like, very important!
- Cheeses: Ideally, we freshly grate all of the cheese in this recipe. However, I will sometimes use pre-grated or pre-shredded to make my life easier. It just won’t melt as well. The parmesan is the most forgiving to use pre-grated. You can choose to use only mozzarella or only cheddar, but I like most to use a mix for maximum cheesy meltiness and flavor!
- Onion: You can leave out the onion if you prefer, or add it to only half of the pie if your kids are like my kids and refuse to eat it with the onion added.
How to make the best tomato pie
Step 1: Blind bake the crust
We just blind bake for 10-12 minutes, to get the outside a little set AND to get the crust hot for the mozzarella to melt.
I don’t stress about the perfect pie edge, about pie weights or about anything really. This is an easy, rustic summer dish and it’s allowed to look the part 😉
Once you remove the pie crust from the oven, immediately sprinkle with ½ cup of shredded mozzarella and set it aside to cool.
Step 2: Prep the tomatoes
I slice the tomatoes ¼ inch thick for the best pie results. Roma tomatoes get you very evenly sized slices, which is why I prefer them here!
And very important: Place the sliced tomatoes between paper towels to remove excess moisture, to keep your pie from turning out watery!
Step 3: Assemble the tomato layer
Once your pie crust has cooled enough, you can start assembling the tomato layer. Note that the more you allow the crust to cool, the crisper it will be after baking. The warmer the crust is when you add the tomatoes, the softer the crust will be once the pie is done.
The way I like to assemble the tomato layer is to add half of the tomatoes, then sprinkle with chopped onion and basil leaves, then add the other half of the tomatoes.
Remember to reserve a few slices of tomatoes to garnish the top, if you want to do that! Also, make sure to have a few leaves of basil leftover for serving 🙂
Step 4: Spread with cheesy topping
Now, stir together the ingredients for the topping – garlic, mayonnaise and cheeses. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper! I don’t season the tomatoes directly because it draws out their juices, and we really want to avoid this pie getting watery and soggy.
Spread the cheesy topping over the tomatoes – it’s a little hard because the tomato slices stick and lift from the pie crust. I find it easiest to drop spoonfuls of the topping over the tomatoes and then spread each little blob out until it’s a uniform layer.
And if you reserved some tomato slices, this is the time to add them!
Step 5: Bake and serve!
I bake the tomato pie uncovered for 15-20 minutes first, then tent it with foil to finish baking for another 10-15 minutes – else, the top and the edges get too dark.
You’re looking for a set pie, with the crust fully baked and the topping golden.
Let the pie cool on a wire rack. We like to serve it warm – but I always make sure to cool it long enough so it’s not hot anymore, else the tomatoes inside the pie will be too scalding to eat.
My kitchen notes
I have made this tomato pie many times, and these are the most important things I have figured out over time:
Cool the blind baked crust enough: The essential step that makes a big difference. The warmer the crust when you add the tomatoes, the softer the bottom crust of the pie will be once it’s done. The pie is always tasty, but a longer cooling time yields a crisper crust.
Chop the onion small: You want to chop the onion small (or alternatively, very thinly slice it), or else it will still taste raw when baked. The first time I made the pie, I left the onion too big, and it was no bueno.
Don’t skip “drying” the tomatoes: Make sure you don’t skip the step of placing the tomato slices between paper towels. It draws out excess moisture and makes the pie less watery.
Two-temperature baking: I initially wanted to keep this very easy and bake it at the same temp throughout, but it’s really better to blind bake the crust at 400°F, then bake the assembled pie at 375°F. The outcome is just superior!
Tent the pie with foil to finish baking: You can see in my test photo in this section, the pie crust and top are quite dark. I didn’t cover it with foil, so it got too browned. So, don’t forget to tent your pie with foil for the second half of baking it!
How I like to serve tomato pie
I think the biggest question is: What is tomato pie? Is it a summer dinner? Is it lunch? Is it an appetizer? Is it a brunch food? I think the answer is, it can be all of these!
We like to eat it for lunch with a leafy green salad, or with a tomato cucumber salad!
It can be dinner with some grilled chicken breast, grilled chicken thighs or some balsamic marinated chicken. I like to make crockpot corn on the cob with it, too!
It can be a wonderful brunch centerpiece, I serve it alongside fresh fruit salad, air fried bacon and maybe some breakfast sausage!
It’s also great as small slices, served as an appetizer at a dinner party. Just… don’t serve it as finger food, because that’s a little messy 🤣
Tomato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided (OR a mix of mozzarella and cheddar if you want more flavor; I often do 1 cup mozzarella and ½ cup cheddar))
- 5 Roma tomatoes
- ½ small yellow onion (very finely chopped (about ⅓ cup; optional; I often leave it out or do half the pie because one of my kids hates onion))
- 10 large leaves fresh basil (plus extra for serving, optional)
- 2 cloves garlic (or more to taste, finely minced)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Blind bake crust:Place pie crust in a greased 9" pie plate. Flute edge or press with the tines of a fork, if desired.Bake on a baking sheet on the lower middle rack at 400°F for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden. Sprinkle bottom with ½ cup mozzarella cheese, set on a wire rack to cool.1 9-inch pie crust, 0.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Prep tomatoes:While crust is baking/cooling, slice tomatoes into ¼-inch thick rounds and place between paper towels to remove excess moisture.5 Roma tomatoes
- Assemble tomato layers:Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.Once crust has cooled (the more you cool it, the more crispy the bottom – I’ve done everything from barely letting it cool to completely letting it cool and it’s always fine, just that the crust is softer the less time it has to cool), arrange half of tomato slices, all of onion and all of basil over melted cheese.Cover with remaining tomatoes (I usually reserve a few slices to garnish the top of the pie).½ small yellow onion, 10 large leaves fresh basil
- Add creamy topping:Combine garlic with mayonnaise, Parmesan and remaining mozzarella/cheddar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread over tomatoes (this is a little tricky, I usually drop spoonfuls over the pie and then gently spread – the tomatoes stick to the mayo mixture, so this needs to be done carefully).If desired, arrange a few tomato slices on top for a pretty look.1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper
- Bake pie:Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until top is starting to turn golden. Loosely cover with foil and bake for additional 10-20 minutes, until pie is set.Let pie cool on a wire rack. Garnish with additional basil, if desired. Serve warm.
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