I made this wonderful tomato pie earlier in the week. As we were leaving the strawberry festival last weekend, I spotted a stand full of garden fresh tomatoes and onions, so I got two baskets of tomatoes and a few onions. When we got home I made a big tomato and onion sandwich with mayonnaise (a combination of my two favorite sandwiches, vidalia onion and fresh tomato into my ultimate, although I know odd, sandwich). I knew I just had to make a tomato pie with what we didn’t eat that day. The next day I made this simple tomato pie for dinner. It really only works with the freshest garden tomatoes, so if you don’t live where you can get fresh tomatoes now, you may want to wait until summer to try this delicious treat. However, I think the tomatoes on the vine or hydroponic tomatoes available in the grocery store may work for this recipe, but I have never tried them.
I served this classic southern comfort food with a small salad. It’s just pie heaven on a plate, and the perfect way to use up over ripe tomatoes.
Tip: Slice tomatoes in half and squeeze out excess juice before slicing to reduce water in the pie.
Yield: Serves 4
1 pre-made or homemade pie crust
1 large sweet onion, sliced
5 - 6 very fresh, preferably farmer's market or garden tomatoes, sliced
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella
salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in pie plate. Prick piecrust with a fork and pre-bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Arrange onions in the bottom of the pie in a circular formation. Then arrange sliced tomatoes, around in a circle, and some in the middle. Add salt and pepper. Combine mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and dried Italian seasonings in a small bowl. Mix well and spoon over tomatoes, leaving about 1 inch gap in between mayo and the edge of the pie so you can still see the tomatoes. Place sliced cheese on top of mayonnaise layer.
2. Bake for about 30 minutes, at 350 degrees, or until cheese is golden.
