My Southern American style tomato pie recipe is creamy and cheesy without the dreaded soggy bottom and with lovely tomato flavors all wrapped up in a butter pie crust. Make the most of your tomato harvest and make this yummy dish that tastes like an Italian pizza dressed up as a pie.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 8 · 8 tomato pie wedges
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American, World

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
  • ¼ cup sliced scallions (- only the white parts or spring onion whites)
  • 6 tomatoes ((medium to large) or 500 grams, chopped in 1 to 1.5 inch cubes)
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or add as per taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red chili flakes (or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional)
  • 1 teaspoon red wine (- optional)
  • ¼ cup chopped scallions (- only the green parts or spring onion greens)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped basil (or 8 to 10 basil or 2 to 3 teaspoons dried basil)
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan- vegetarian
  • 2 to 3 pinches white pepper or black pepper
  • 450 grams Pie Dough (or one 9 inch unbaked pastry shell)

Method

Make Tomato Filling

  1. Rinse and chop tomatoes into 1 to 1.5 inch cubes. Set aside.
  2. In a skillet or frying pan, heat olive oil. Keep the heat to low or medium-low and add finely chopped garlic and sliced scallion whites. Sauté for a minute.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, crushed black pepper and salt, adjusting the seasonings to your taste. Mix very well.
  4. Increase the heat to high or medium-high and begin to sauté the tomatoes. Initially, the tomatoes will release a lot of juice, but continue to sauté and the liquid will slowly evaporate.
  5. Sauté until the juices are mostly evaporated. You'll know the sauce is ready when you move a spoon from the center of the pan and can see a clear bottom without any juices.
  6. Add red chili flakes, dried oregano and red wine. Both red chili flakes and red wine are optional, but they offer a ton of flavor.
  7. Stir and deglaze, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. *You can substitute ¼ teaspoon of cayenne for the red chili flakes.
  8. Lastly, add the chopped scallion greens and chopped basil. Mix well and switch off the heat. Let this tomato filling cool. *If you do not have fresh basil, then substitute 2 to 3 teaspoons of dried basil instead.

Making Mayo Filling

  1. In a mixing bowl, add ½ cup mayonnaise (eggless), ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Par Baking Pie Crust

  1. Take 450 grams pie dough or one 9 inch unbaked pastry shell and roll the pie crust to an even 0.5 to 1 mm thickness. Place the rolled crust on a 9 or 10 inch pie pan.
  2. Trim the edges, then shape and flute to your liking. Puncture the crust with a fork on the sides and the top - this will allow steam to escape during the baking and result in a smooth even crust surface.
  3. Cover crust with a kitchen towel or cling film and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes
  4. Par bake the pie for 10 to 15 minutes. You do not need to bake it completely.

Assembling the Pie

  1. Let the par baked crust cool to room temperature.
  2. Then top with ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
  3. Add the prepared tomato filling and spread it evenly.
  4. Next top with ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
  5. Using a spoon, dollop the mayo filling all over. Gently spread the filling out to the edges using a small silicone spatula, an offset spatula, or even the back of a spoon.
  6. Lastly, sprinkle ¼ cup grated vegetarian parmesan and 2 to 3 pinches of white or black pepper.
  7. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 to 35 minutes until the edges and sides of the crust are golden.
  8. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with chopped parsley, basil, scallion greens, cilantro or chives.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.