Tomato pie can be fussy to make. But the right steps add up to a show-stopping dish.
An editor’s request for a tomato pie several years ago sent me down a deep rabbit hole and many tests developing one.
For one thing, tomato pies turn up alllllll over social media every summer, and it’s easy to see why. They’re a beautiful and delicious way to show off colorful summer tomatoes.
At first glance, it seems simple enough — pie crust with cheesy filling and topped with vibrant summer tomatoes. Who doesn’t want some of that?? (Yes, please!)
We briefly considered using cherry tomatoes, which you can just pile over the filling and bake, but heirloom tomatoes would “scream summer,” my editor noted, and make for a eye-catching cover.
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That’s true, but heirloom tomatoes also have a lot of water, which can lead to a soggy pie if you don’t handle them correctly.
Some recipes get around this by having you bake the crust and filling, and then lay raw sliced tomatoes on top before serving. I tried this because, well, it’s simple. It was pretty, but I wanted the tomatoes to really meld with the filling.
After more than a half-dozen tests, this is where I landed:
Summer Tomato Pie Recipe Notes
- To keep things as simple, I call for a refrigerated pie crust. That’s the dough that comes rolled up, two to a package (and to make things confusing, sometimes, as in the case of Trader Joe’s, it’s in the freezer section). You can substitute your favorite homemade pie dough.
- This works best when you blind-bake the crust before adding the filling.
- After many tests, I found that firm, even slightly underripe heirloom tomatoes are your best bet for this recipe. If they’re very ripe, they’ll just continue to “water out,” even after salting them before assembling the pie. Use a variety of colors and sizes.
- Do not—I repeat, do not—skip the step of salting the tomatoes and letting them stand for at least 30 minutes. This is key to drawing out excess moisture that can lead to a soggy pie. If they stand a bit longer, that’s fine.
- In a pinch, this will work in a standard 9-inch pie pan (not deep dish). But the dimension of a removable-bottom metal tart pan, with its broader surface and shallow depth, is ideal.
- Not a fan of dealing with pie dough? Spread the goat cheese/mascarpone mixture on pizza dough, top with the tomatoes, and bake as you would a pizza.
Think of this as the advanced version of my Puff Pastry Heirloom Tomato Tart, which, frankly, takes its cue more from pizza than pie.
Cherry Tomato Pie
Equipment
- 1 (9-inch) removable-bottom tart pan
Ingredients
- ½ (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crust (or your favorite homemade pie crust)
- 1¾ pounds firm multicolored heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 ounces goat cheese, softened
- 5 ounces mascarpone, softened
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for garnish)
- Basil leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Unroll dough. Fit dough into a 9-inch fluted removable-bottom tart pan. Trim edges of dough. Prick bottom with a fork. Place a 13-inch-square piece of parchment over dough; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights. Bake 5-7 minutes or until bottom is golden and set. Cool on wire rack.
- While crust bakes, cover a baking sheet with several layers of paper towels. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Let stand 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Pat tomatoes dry, removing any large clumps of seeds.
- In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, mascarpone, Parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread in bottom of cooled tart crust. Arrange tomatoes over filling, overlapping. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 20 minutes, shielding edges of tart with foil. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from tart pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Drizzle lightly with olive oil; garnish with basil.