You can’t believe how easy this savory pie is to whip up and if you make it to share you might think twice when it comes out of the oven. The amazing scent of local garlic, garden fresh basil and an mmmm cheesy topping is the stuff summer dreams are made of. Do not be alarmed if you start rooting through your pantry to find some kind of food nonsense you will try to pass off as tasty to share instead of your tomato pie.
I had been messing around with tomato pie recipes for the summer issue of Phoebe’s Pure Food Magazine™ but was not happy with what I came up with. It was the cream cheese in this topping that was what made this just right. Lots of recipes call for mayo. If you like mayo play with this recipe but don’t skimp on the basil.
Tomato Pie
serves 8-10
- 1 prepared pie crust (not baked yet)
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 4 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
preheat oven to 350˚
Prepare tomatoes: Slice the tomatoes, be sure to remove the goopy seeds. If you like you can put the tomato slices on a paper or tea towel, it’s a trick from the Lancaster Central Market Cookbook. You could cut a X on the bottom of the tomato and drop in and quickly pull out out boiling water to peel the skin, if you like.
Pre-bake crust: Line 9 inch pie dish with pie crust. Pierce the shell with a fork, add pie weights or dried beans, and bake 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded cheese in pie crust.
Prepare filling: Finely chop the basil, garlic, thyme, and chives. You can chop with a knife or put in a small food processor.
In a small blender or stir by hand, combine the cream cheese, milk, and parmesan.
Arrange the tomatoes in the pie crust, top with the herb puree, spread the cream cheese mixture, and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until golden.
Found this is best enjoyed when freshly baked but still good on day 2.
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