Tricia Butler demonstrates how to make this old family, Southern recipe: Tomato Pie
Great to make towards the end of summer, with fresh beans and tomatoes from the garden.
Tomato-Pie-Recipe (PDF)
Best Overall Pie!
Ingredients:
- 4 – 5 large tomatoes, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 10-inch pie crust
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup mayonnaise (or substitute with ½ cup sour cream)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1½ large sweet onions, sliced in 1/4 inch rings (Vidalia or Walla Walla sweets work best)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon spice mix (Italian herbs or other favorite seasoning)
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350º degrees.
- Melt butter in a sauté pan and add onions. Cook at medium low for about 30 minutes until caramelized, stirring every few minutes to avoid burning.
- Lightly salt tomatoes and drain in colander for 20 minutes.
- Pre-bake pie shell for 10 minutes in 350º degree oven with pie weights to avoid bubbles.
- Mix cheddar with mayonnaise and 1/4 Teaspoon of the cracked pepper and set aside.
- Add one layer of tomatoes to pie shell and cover with dash of salt, pepper, sugar and basil. Add the rest of the tomato slices and seasonings in layers.
- Spread cheese mixture evenly on top of tomatoes.
- Sprinkle spice mix on top of cheese.
- Add caramelized onions to the top of the pie in an even layer.
- Bake pie at 350º degrees for 30 minutes. Cover with foil if the crust begins to burn.
Yield: Makes 6-8 servings.
Recipe courtesy of Tricia Butler, Sassafras Catering
12 Comments
Uh, from the south or not, Frank is obviously wrong if he thinks that his family's recipe is *the only* legitimate way to make a traditional southern tomato pie. Now, I'm just a dumb Yankee, but I would bet that there were as many variations on southern tomato pie as there were grandmothers down there. And every single one of them was “authentic.”
Plus, as Tricia said, you should really add the things you like to “make it your own.” All i care about is that it's tasty
That said, I did try this last night, and it was a soupy mess, even after lots of extra baking, because i didn't drain the tomatoes enough. I would HIGHLY recommend seeding them, draining them, and then even letting them sit on clean dishtowels for a while to soak up some of the liquid that would otherwise waterlog your crust.
This is probably kind of a common sense thing, which of course, I had to learn the hard way. Kind of like, when using beans to weigh down your pie crust, as Tricia mentions, it's common sense not to include split peas (hey- it was a mix), and to put some parchment paper or something UNDER the beans, so they don't become embedded in the crust. Haha. There's another tip. Don't do that.
Great recipe, Tricia! Thanks!
Thanks for your feedback, Mr. Miles. Now you have me interested in the recipe that your family used!
I made a BBQ DVD awhile back, and boy, there are so many different approaches to great authentic low and slow BBQ, typically associated with the South. In this case, this was Tricia’s family’s recipe (being from North Carolina) and they consider it part of their tradition.
This is NOT traditional southern tomato pie. Sorry, but it’s not.
I’ve just watched your video making tomato pie and I must say my grandmother and all of my aunts, my late mother’s older sisters, all now deceased, would spin in their graves at the recipe you’ve provided. First, they would be appalled that you’ve made smushed tomato pie instead of using full size slices. Second, onions should be sliced very, very thinly, and not cooked and caramelized ahead of time. Tomatoes, they would tell you, should be red and red only. There should also be crumbled crisply cooked bacon mixed with the cheese and mayo mixture. And last, but not least, the pie should have TWO crusts, one bottom crust and one top crust. And the bottom crust should not be cooked ahead.
Now, in my younger years (I’m 71) I ate this scrumptious tomato pie many, many times, and loved it. Your recipe just doesn’t cut it. You’ve obviously taken liberties that do nothing to improve on traditional tomato pie. Shame.
Hi Rebecca,
Yes, I was born and raised in South Carolina and live in a little historic town in upstate SC, Pendleton, so I imagine that you are right about it being a Southern Recipe. I enjoy writing on Squidoo about my town, recipes, family and nature and certainly enjoy reading what others are writing about.
Well, add me to that list, Nancy! When I first met Tricia I learned of her family tradition of making Tomato Pie and I thought, what’s that?! Do you have a Southern root in your family tree? I’m beginning to think tomato pie is a very familiar dish in the southern states around the Carolinas. Outside of that region, though, it’s new to most folks. I think it’s great there are still food traditions, and, even better, they are being shared via the internet so many more can discover and bring them to their family!
I finally made a Tomato Pie combining several recipes and it was delicious. I wrote about it on a Squidoo lens and was so surprised at the number of folks who had never head of Tomato Pie.
Hi Bonita,
I do bake this prior to freezing. If you let it cool, cover with a piece of tin foil, then wrap tightly twice with plastic wrap, it will last at least six months in the freezer (I haven’t kept one longer than that yet, but I imagine it could be done!).
When you’re ready to eat it, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then heat it at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes. Just make sure it heats through and is hot in the middle, and you can leave the foil off for the last 10 minutes of cooking for the crust to crisp.
One note – if you leave it in the fridge too long the acid in the tomatoes will start to react with the tin foil, so make sure to cook it soon after thawing.
Enjoy!
Tricia
Hi. Do you bake this prior to freezing? What is the method of freezing and thawing/cooking afterwards? Thank you, B Absher in NC
Hi. You mentioned that this freezes well. Do you bake and then freeze? Do you wrap it in a Saran-type wrap or aluminum foil? How do you best unthaw and cook or warm it? Thank you! B Absher in NC
It is good! Tricia (in the video) says she uses canned tomatoes out of season and it still comes out good. Frankly, I don’t think I could wait! I had some of this and had never tasted anything quite like it. Yummy, good, and comforting.
Thanks for sharing! I think this will be a winner for lots of folks. If they need any help, direct them to the video ( http://cookingupastory.com/cooking/tomato-pie/ ) where she shows the steps. Happy baking!
Rebecca
so glad i ran into you on twitter! sounds really good. my kids love tomatoes and pie, and cheese, so i’m sure they’ll go for this. can’t wait to try! wish i had this in the summer when i had more tomatoes that even a tomato loving family knows what to do with! i’m posting this recipe on the forum, so i can try it next time i have a bunch of tomatoes. thx for sharing!!
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