The Sandlapper Series

Happy Tuesday! 

In today’s post, I am going to share my recipe for tomato pie.  I made one last night (pic above) and posted it to Facebook with people asking for the recipe.

I fell in love with this dish at the Palmetto Club here in Columbia and looking forward to their new facility opening that will hopefully have tomato pie back on the menu!

This is a super easy and a great way to use up tomatoes before they over ripen!

To the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie shell (I usually use store bought but one day I’ll make a fresh one!)
• 1/2 yellow or red onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, sliced, to yield approximately 3 cups tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced basil (about 8 leaves)
• 2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack)
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise- I prefer Duke’s Light Mayo
• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Tabasco- I usually add more depending on how I’m feeling.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper- I prefer to cook with Kosher salt.

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, you’ll need to cook it a little longer.

2 Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes using either paper towels. This is key! I usually stack tomato slices on layers of paper towels and press as much water as I can out.

3 Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with chopped onion. Spread the tomatoes over the onions. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.

4 In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey paste. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes. Try to completely cover the pie top all the way around to the edges.

5 Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly for 30 minutes.  Turn the oven off after 30 minutes and let the pie sit inside for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool another 15 minutes on a trivet or wire rack before serving.  Use a sharp knife to slice into wedges and use a pie server to remove.

Do you love tomato pie as much as I do?  Let me hear from you in the comments!