Southern Tomato Pie — Add to Your Summer Delight

Southern Tomato Pie is a delicious way to top off your summer! Savory, not sweet, take advantage of your garden or your local farmers market. Mouth watering fresh tomatoes and sweet Italian basil fill this pie along with a variety of cheeses. It makes a great side dish or a Vegetarian main dish — your choice.

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie shell (store bought or homemade)
• 3-4 tomatoes
• 1/2 cup red or yellow onion chopped

  

• 1/4 cup sliced basil (about 7-8 large leaves) — If you don’t have fresh, feel free to use dry.
• 2 cups (8 oz.) of shredded cheese (use a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or Gruyere)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat preferred)

 

• 1 tsp Hot Sauce if you like it hot (if not, skip this ingredient)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (Note: Used to remove additional liquid from the tomatoes. Cheese has a lot of naturally occurring salt. Generally, after squeezing the tomatoes, I do not use salt.)

Directions

To prepare the tomatoes:

• horizontally cut them in half,
• squeeze to ensure the removal of excess juice,
• chop to yield about 3 cups.
  • If using salt, lightly salt the tomatoes and set them in a colander over a bowl to drain.
  • Note: Remove as much moisture as possible. Squeeze or press with paper towels, potato ricer, or a clean dish towel.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F:

Pre-bake the pie crust until browned lightly (about 8 to 10 minutes — a frozen pie crust may take a little longer). You may want to poke holes in the bottom with a fork to vent.

Layer the pre-baked pie shell:

• Start with a layer of chopped onions on the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust,
• spread the chopped, drained tomatoes over the onions, then
• sprinkle the fresh sweet Italian basil over the tomatoes.

Prepare cheese mixture:

• Mix together the shredded cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce (if used), and black pepper in a medium sized bowl.
• Spread this cheese mixture over the the tomatoes & basil.

Bake:

Place Tomato Pie in the oven and bake at 350 degrees F until bubbly and browned. This usually takes between 25 and 45 minutes.

Visiting the Highlands, North Carolina area?

Enjoy breakfast or lunch at Dusty’s Rhodes Superette, a wholly owned family operation since 1952. The original owners built this market with an attached apartment where current owners, Dusty and Kitty were born. With fresh produce, meats, specialty foods, a bakery, deli and more, it’s a great place to stop, shop and enjoy a meal. They also make a delicious Tomato Pie!