In the American South is a popular dish known as “Tomato Pie”.

Neither my husband nor I had ever heard of this before living here.

But lately I’ve seen it featured in Southern Living and on some of the food shows that I’ve been watching while laid up on the recliner healing my back after surgery.  We were really grateful for the kindness extended to us from our friends who are native Southerners when they baked one of these pies to give us this week . . . and that certainly gave my husband a night off from cooking while I’m on the mend from surgery.

 
A traditional Southern tomato pie gifted to us by our friends
. 
This tomato pie was delicious, but both my husband and I surprised by the unexpected tangy flavor that resulted from combining mayonnaise and cheddar cheese baked on top of tomatoes and onions.
 .
Really, really good and nothing like we’d ever had before.   We certainly appreciated the gesture, kindness, and friendship that was extended, however the unique taste in this version of tomato pie led me on a path to discover other presentations of tomato pie.
.
 
 
lots of butter, mayonnaise, and cheese in the Southern pie
 
here’s another photo below from “eclectic recipes“
 .
 
Now that’s what I call a cheesy dream of a tomato pie!
. 

From the Northeastern region of the States, I found that there is a thick pizza-focaccia bread based tomato pie that I’d like to make later on.  From the photos, it looks like a thick pizza with an equally thick layer of tomato sauce on top (not sliced tomatoes) and nothing else.  Already I could see a difference in the sub-cultural interpretation of tomato pie!

 

 
certainly MORE focus on tomatoes and not cheese!
.

Meanwhile within the pages of one of my Italian cookbooks, “Vegetables From An Italian Garden”, I found a photo and recipe for a ‘rustic’ tomato pie.  It doesn’t look like a pie at all, but since that’s what the title stated I set out to try it.

This recipe did not fail my expectations; even my husband ate a whole ‘slice’!

.

 
.
 
 
photo of the rustic tomato pie in my cookbook
.
 
 spread softened butter onto the baking sheet pan
.
 
saute’ green onions and sprinkle onto bread
.
 
generously layer tomato slices and sprinkle herbs on bread
.
 
place top piece of bread on,
pour egg/milk mixture all over, 
sprinkle with salt and pepper
.
 
place slices of pecorino cheese randomly on bread and
bake in the oven until golden brown
.
 
This rustic Italian tomato pie is indeed the opposite of the traditional Southern tomato pie.  The latter has a heaviness to it, maybe due to the all of the mayonnaise, cheese and butter, and the tomatoes seemed a bit lost.  But it had a tangy cheese flavor that cannot be beat . . . and anything with cheese gets my attention quickly!
 …
For the rustic pie on the other hand, the oregano and basil sang out, there was no greasiness at all, and the tomatoes really stood out.  A wonderful crunch is heard as you bite into the egg/milk baked bread.  I think that this tomato pie truly reflects one of the important principles of Italian cooking:  keep everything simple and don’t cover up the flavors, but rather — enhance them!  I’m so glad to have stumbled upon this recipe and know that it will be made quite often!
 …
And now, I’ll just go have a piece of both tomato pies for some fresh summertime tomato bliss!
 
.
.
 
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Rustic Italian Tomato Pie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Cuisine: Italian
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

  • butter for greasing pan
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 scallions/green onions, finely chopped
  • 12 thin slices good quality Italian whole wheat bread, crusts removed (I left them on)
  • 4 – 5 fresh tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 2 jumbo eggs (I doubled this from 1 egg)
  • 1 1/3 cups whole milk (I doubled this from 2/3 cup milk)
  • 8 oz. pecorino cheese, sliced very thin
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spread butter all over a baking sheet with sides.
  3. Heat olive oil in a small pan, add the scallions/green onions and sauté over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
  4. Lightly season with salt.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Cover the bottom of the buttered pan with half of the bread.
  7. Spoon the scallions/green onions on top of bread.
  8. Place tomato slices on top.
  9. Sprinkle with dried oregano and dried basil.
  10. Cover with remaining bread slices.
  11. Beat eggs with the milk in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.
  12. Pour the mixture over the bread.
  13. Cover with pecorino cheese slices.
  14. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.
  15. Do not burn the bread though.
  16. Let cool slightly and then serve on a nice serving dish.
 
 

And now here’s the recipe for the traditional Southern Tomato Pie

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Southern Tomato Pie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Roz
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Total Time: 0 hours
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale

  • 1 pre-made pie crust
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 5 – 6 very fresh, preferably farmer’s market or garden-fresh tomatoes, sliced
  • (Tip: Slice tomatoes in half first and squeeze out excess juice before slicing to reduce water in the pie)
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup sliced fresh Monterey Jack cheese
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place pie crust in pie plate.
  3. Arrange onions in the bottom of the pie in a circular formation.
  4. Then arrange sliced tomatoes, around in a circle, and some in the middle.
  5. Add salt and pepper.
  6. Combine mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and dried Italian seasonings in a small bowl.
  7. 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.
  8. Place sliced cheese on top of mayonnaise layer.
  9. Bake for about 30 minutes, at 350 degrees, or until cheese is golden.

.

.