Healthier Tomato Pie

Healthier Tomato Pie

Southern Tomato Pie is famous, but often the tomatoes are lost in the cheese and mayonnaise. This pie highlights the tomato taste.

Ingredients:

 1 pie crust

 ½ red onion sliced thinly into rounds or 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

 ¼ cup mayonnaise

 6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

 3-4 ripe tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 -1/2 inch thin

 4 Tbsp fresh basil, half sliced into ribbons (chiffonade)

 Salt and pepper to taste

 Additional salt for sprinkling tomatoes

Method:

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

 Line a 9” tart or pie pan with prepared pie dough. Poke a few holes in the dough with a fork,

then cover with parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans or rice. Bake for 15 minutes,

until the crust starts to turn golden.

 While the crust bakes, slice the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes on several sheets of paper towels

and sprinkle with salt. Flip and salt the other side as well. Let the tomatoes sit for 10 minutes,

then blot off moisture with dry towels.

 Mix the mayonnaise and the shredded cheese and spread this mixture in the parbaked pie crust.

Sprinkle 2-3 Tablespoons of the basil on top of the cheese.

 Top with one layer of the sliced tomatoes, the onions, followed by a second layer of tomatoes.

Add a third layer if space permits. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

 Bake for 30 minutes, until crust is golden and some juices along the edge of the pie crust are

bubbling. Remove from the oven and set aside for 20 minutes to cool before slicing. Top with

the remaining basil and serve warm or at room temperature.

Options and Notes:

 Homemade pie crust is delicious, but feel free to use a store-bought crust.

 You can swap out the mozzarella with cheddar cheese or half mozzarella and half cheddar if you

like.

 Choose tomatoes that are firm and limit the number of cherry tomatoes. Roma or paste

tomatoes have the least juice, but heirloom varieties are great if you draw out the moisture first

for at least 10 minutes.

 If you are avoiding mayonnaise, try using cream cheese thinned with buttermilk or Greek yogurt

as a substitute.

 Tomato Pie is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator

and reheated in the oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.