TOMATO PIE

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for tomato pie that called for eggs, cream, butter, and dairy cheese. Because I love a good food challenge, I told him I’d work on it. Here’s the result and it has become a new favorite around here. Thanks, Al!

End of summer tomatoes are great to use in this recipe.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes

Makes one 9″ loaded pie

Ingredients

  • 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced ½” thick
  • 1 medium sized heirloom tomato, sliced ½” thick
  • 1 large onion, sliced thin
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese
  • mozzarella cheese (you may want to double my recipe for the cheese)
  • 1-1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1-1/2 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. rosemary
  • ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 10” pizza crust of your choice (I used Trader Joe’s organic frozen 2-pack)
  • low sodium marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Sprinkle cornmeal on the bottom of an 8” cake pan to keep crust from sticking.
  3. Spread on a thin layer of marinara sauce.
  4. Evenly distribute 1/3 of the sautéed onions on sauce.
  5. Place several tablespoon size pieces of mozzarella on next, then add your first layer of sliced tomatoes, overlapping them slightly.
  6. Sprinkle with 2 Tbls. parmesan and a bit of each seasonings.
  7. Repeat steps 3, 4, 5 and 6 two more times.
  8. Your last layer of tomatoes should be topped with the remaining mozzarella cheese, then dust the whole pie with Panko bread crumbs.
  9. Place tomato pie on a baking sheet (in case it bubbles over), and bake uncovered on middle rack for 55 minutes.

Recipe notes:

  • I love heirlooms for their sweetness and color, but you can use any tomatoes of your choice.
  • After each complete layer, I used a flat bottom dish to press the layers down.
  • I also added oregano, thyme and rosemary to the mozzarella cheese as I was making it.
  • I did not pre-bake my crust, but may do so next time.