Feast your eyes on the best Southern Tomato Pie recipe you have ever tasted! This savory pie is made with homegrown tomatoes, bacon, and a blend of fresh herbs. Every bite is creamy and cheesy, and it’s all housed in a buttery homemade pie crust.
I used a store-bought crust just to make the process a little easier. But if you want to try your hand at a homemade version, use this butter pie crust recipe. It’s fantastic for tomato pies, but you can also use it for no bake desserts like Chocolate Cream Pie and Eggnog Pie. Some choose to go with an easy oil pie crust, which is flaky, but you may miss that buttery taste.
You may be satisfied without a side dish; if not, whip up a batch of fried apples or healthy deviled eggs for the full southern experience.
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Why You’ll Love This Southern Tomato Pie Recipe
- A great way to use up fresh garden tomatoes and highlight your summer bounty during tomato season.
- A savory southern tomato pie is a perfect summer dish that’s easy to make.
- Can be served hot or cold.
🍅 Ingredients:
- Pre-baked pie crust – Go with a deep dish crust so there’s room for all the ingredients. If you want to bake a crust from scratch use this butter pie crust recipe – it only requires 4 ingredients! You can also use a ready-made pie crust, but a homemade pastry crust makes for an extra delicious recipe.
- Fresh ripe tomatoes – try to use a meaty variety, some tomatoes have too much liquid, we want tomatoes with reduced water content to keep a flaky crust nice and crisp.
- Salt and cracked black pepper
- Fresh basil leaves and oregano
- Mayonnaise – You can really taste the mayo in this pie, so use a good quality. If you are a true southerner, you’ll go with Duke’s.
- Eggs
- Grated cheese (cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, monterey jack)
- Bacon – Allow time to cook the bacon first, I like making air fryer bacon because the cleanup is easy.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish Ideas:
- Sliced Cherry Tomatoes: For an extra pop of color and freshness, thinly slice some cherry tomatoes and arrange them on top of the pie.
- Green Onions or Scallions: Thinly sliced green onions, scallions, or chives add a mild onion flavor and a splash of green color to the dish.
- Balsamic Glaze: Drizzle some balsamic glaze over the tomato pie just before serving to add a tangy sweetness that complements the savory flavors.
- Red Pepper Flakes: If you enjoy a bit of heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top for a subtle kick.
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper: A simple but effective garnish, freshly ground black pepper adds a touch of spiciness to each bite. Add salt only after tasting the pie to avoid over-salting your tomato pie.
- Microgreens or Baby Arugula: These delicate greens not only add an attractive appearance but also a fresh and peppery taste.
- Olive Oil: A drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil on top can enhance the flavors and add a silky texture.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegetarian Version: To make the pie vegetarian-friendly, omit the bacon and replace it with sautéed mushrooms. You can cook the mushrooms with a little garlic and butter until they’re tender and slightly browned.
- Pesto Swirl: Instead of using fresh basil, consider adding dollops of pesto between the layers of tomatoes. This will add a burst of flavor and a green swirl to the pie.
- Herb Variations: While the recipe includes fresh basil and oregano, you can experiment with other herbs like thyme, rosemary, or marjoram. Each herb will bring its own unique aroma and taste to the pie.
- Cheese Blend: Try using a combination of different cheeses for added complexity. For example, mix sharp cheddar with creamy goat cheese or replace some of the cheese with gouda or fontina.
- Caramelized Onions: Add a layer of caramelized onions between the tomato slices for some sweetness and depth of flavor. Cook thinly sliced onions in a pan with a little butter and sugar until they turn golden brown and soft.
- Roasted Garlic: Mix roasted garlic cloves into the cheese and mayo mixture for a mellow, savory flavor.
- Hot Sauce or Sriracha: For those who enjoy some heat, stir a little hot sauce into the mayonnaise and egg before mixing in the cheese.
- Different Tomato Varieties: While this recipe calls for meatier tomatoes, you can use a mix of tomato varieties for a colorful and diverse pie. Try heirloom tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes for different flavors and textures. Do try to remove as much extra moisture from the fresh tomatoes.
- Phyllo Dough Crust: Instead of a traditional pie crust, you can use phyllo dough to create a flaky and crispy crust. Layer the phyllo sheets with melted butter or olive oil before baking. Pre-bake the phyllo crust layers before adding the southern tomato pie filling.
- Gluten-Free Option: If you prefer a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free pie crust or replace the crust with a layer of thinly sliced potatoes.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Bake the pie crust until it’s light golden brown. Cook and crumble the bacon.
Step 1: While the pie crust is baking, slice the tomatoes. Line a sheet pan with a double layer of paper towels. Spread tomato slices over the paper towels and season with salt.
Step 2: Let tomatoes sit for 30 minutes, then dab excess juices with paper towels to soak up the moisture. Place a single layer of tomatoes in the bottom of the crust.
Step 3: Sprinkle some of the herbs on the tomatoes.
Step 4: Mix the eggs and mayo together in a medium bowl, then stir in the cheese.
Choosing the best tomatoes: Homegrown tomatoes are the best for this recipe because they have more flavor than those at the grocery store. Pick out ripe summer tomatoes that are meatier (have less seeds and juice) such as Beefsteak, Roma, Early Girl, or Nebraska Wedding.
Step 5: Spread about ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the tomatoes. You’re going to be layering tomatoes and the mayo/cheese, so divide it up between the number of layers of tomato you’re going to stack. My pie had three layers of tomatoes.
Step 6: Continue layering with tomatoes, herbs, and the cheese mixture. Before adding the last layer of cheese, sprinkle on half of the cooked bacon. (We will add the rest of the bacon toward the end of the bake time.)
Step 7: Bake the tomato pie for 30 minutes or until it has set. Once the pie starts to brown, cover the edges with aluminum foil.
Step 8: Add the remaining bacon when there’s 5 minutes left. Cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before serving.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: You can garnish the pie with some additional fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and/or some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- If you are using tomatoes from the grocery store, you may need to just lightly salt them when leeching the extra moisture. Because grocery store tomatoes may lack flavor, your pie could come out too salty.
- Allowing the pie to rest before serving gives the filling time to thicken up.
- For a golden brown crust, whisk another egg and use a pastry brush to apply egg wash over the edges of the pie crust.
Fun Fact
Classic southern tomato pie has been around since the 1800s. The tomato pie that is more well known up north, originated in Philly and is similar to a pizza.
Recipe FAQs
Tomato pies are best eaten the day they are made. However, you can keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat in the microwave or in the oven. After 3 days, you may find that the crust is getting soggy.
I do not recommend freezing. Once the pies begin to thaw, the tomatoes will release more moisture, which can turn into a soggy mess.
More Southern Meals You Will Love
If you tried this Southern Tomato Pie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Southern Tomato Pie
Ingredients
- 9" pre-baked pie crust
- 3 lbs. Homegrown tomatoes a meatier variety, not heirloom
- Kosher salt
- 1-2 cups fresh basil chopped or chiffonade
- 3 tablespoons fresh oregano stems removed
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 large eggs plus one more for egg washing the crust, optional
- 2 ½ cups grated cheese cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, monterey jack
- ½ lb. bacon cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Pre-bake pie crust by lining the unbaked crust with aluminum foil and pie weights and cooking at 375° for 25 minutes; remove foil and weights and continue cooking 5-10 minutes longer until light golden brown. Cool.
- Slice the tomatoes about ¼”-½” thick. Place them on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the moisture to leech from the tomatoes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pat the tops of the tomatoes firmly with dry paper towels, absorbing as much moisture as you can. Layer tomato slices in a single layer over the bottom of the baked pie crust.
- Crack black pepper over the tomatoes (more salt is not needed). Add as much chopped basil as you’d like. Sprinkle with fresh oregano leaves and/or any other herbs you’d like to add.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise and the eggs until combined. Add grated cheese and stir.
- Spread some of the cheese mixture over the tomatoes and herbs. Continue layering tomatoes, herbs, pepper, and cheese mixture. For a pie with some of the tomatoes exposed, reserve just a small amount of the cheese mixture to layer over the top layer of tomatoes. We did three layers of tomatoes total.
- Before adding the final spoonfuls of mayonnaise/cheese mixture, sprinkle half of the crumbled bacon on top of the tomatoes. Reserve the remaining herbs and add them to the finished pie while serving rather than sprinkling over the last layer of tomatoes.
- Top with the remaining mayo/cheese mixture.
- Whisk an additional egg to make an egg wash for the crust, if desired. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg over any exposed crust – this will produce a beautiful golden brown crust and lovely sheen.
- Bake pie for 30-35 minutes until the center is set. Cover the edges of the pie crust with aluminum foil once they are golden brown so they do not burn. Add remaining bacon over the top of the pie during the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Allow pie to cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh basil and oregano and serve.
Notes
- When you sprinkle salt on the tomatoes and let them sit to draw out the moisture, some of the salt will be absorbed by the tomatoes along with the released liquid. Patting the tomatoes dry with paper towels helps remove any excess salt that might have accumulated on the surface.The cheese and bacon also add salt content. If you’re concerned about the overall salt content, you can always start with a little less salt and adjust to your taste preference. A light sprinkle of kosher salt is usually enough to draw out the moisture without making the tomatoes overly salty.
- If you are using tomatoes from the grocery store, you may need to just lightly salt them when leeching the extra moisture. Because grocery store tomatoes may lack flavor, your pie could come out too salty.
- Allowing the pie to rest before serving gives the filling time to thicken up.
- For a golden brown crust, whisk another egg and use a pastry brush to apply egg wash over the edges of the pie crust.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Susie says
Everyone loved this pie! I added feesh rosemary from my garden and the flavor was amazing! I also experimented- air fried the tomatoes to create a sundried texture and it also worked well.