Recipe from Virginia Willis
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus 1 hour chilling
- Rating
- 4(314)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Tomato pie is just the kind of supper a Southern cook might serve in the summer: savory and rich, but vibrant with super-fresh vegetables and herbs. Virginia Willis, a Georgia native and food writer, had the inspired idea to add a topping of pimento cheese, another Southern classic. There are multiple steps here because of the scratch-made crust, but everything can be baked in the cooler parts of the day, and the pie can be served warm or at room temperature. —Julia Moskin
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 2cups/250 grams all-purpose flour, more for flouring the work surface
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4ounces/113 grams chilled unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2large egg yolks
- Ice water
- 1½pounds ripe tomatoes (about 3 medium)
- Kosher salt
- 2thick slices bacon, cut into lardons (large matchsticks), or 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1sweet onion, such as Vidalia or red onion, very thinly sliced
- ½cup mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley and basil
- Ground black pepper
- 1¼cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
- ⅓cup mayonnaise
- 1tablespoon diced pimentos (roasted, preserved sweet red peppers)
For the Crust
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
408 calories; 28 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 435 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the dough: In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter. Process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, 8 to 10 seconds. Add the egg yolks and pulse until just combined. Pulse in 5 to 6 tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the mixture holds together as a soft dough, not crumbly or sticky. Use your hands to shape into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (or longer, if desired).
Step
2
Lightly flour a clean work surface and rolling pin. Unwrap and roll out the dough, starting in the center and rolling up to, but not over, the top edge of the dough. Return to the center, and roll down to, but not over, the bottom edge. Give the dough a quarter turn, and continue rolling, repeating the turns until you have a circle about ⅛-inch thick.
Step
3
Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, being careful not to stretch or pull the dough. Cut away any excess dough, leaving enough to make a thick edge around the rim. Tuck the edges under, press together and, if desired, crimp the edge. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
Step
4
Bake the crust: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prick the bottom of the dough lightly all over with a fork. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice, enough to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the paper and weights. Set crust aside to cool to room temperature.
Step
5
Meanwhile, line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Using a serrated knife, core the tomatoes and slice them ¼ inch thick. Place a layer of tomato slices on the baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Top with more paper towels and repeat with remaining tomatoes. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Step
6
If using bacon, place in a medium skillet over medium heat, and cook until just crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat from the pan (discard the fat or reserve it for another use). Or, skip the bacon and start the next step with 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pan.
Step
7
Heat the bacon fat or olive oil over medium heat, then add onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until lightly caramelized and golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Don’t rush this process: the onions should not be white or crunchy.)
Step
8
Assemble the pie: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat half the tomatoes dry with paper towels and arrange closely in the pie crust. Add half the onions, bacon and herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining tomatoes, onions, bacon and herbs.
Step
9
In a bowl, combine the cheese, mayonnaise and pimento very well. Gently spread the mixture on top of the pie. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, slicing with a serrated knife.
Ratings
4
out of 5
314
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Cooking Notes
Shawn
I make a tomato pie but I roast the tomatoes before putting into the filling. This concentrates the flavor and you can discard any liquid. I would also roast the onions as well.
qatburger
Overall, a great recipe. The flavor is wonderful; I used fresh tomatoes and herbs from the farmer's market. The crust is incredibly easy to work with. Some caveats: Even after salting/draining the tomatoes, they still released a lot of liquid after baking, making the bottom crust soggy. And although you can "parallel prep" a lot of the steps, it's still very time consuming. It's well worth it, but give yourself pretty much a full morning or afternoon to produce it.
Elaine
Cooked this today with fresh garden tomatoes - boy did they shine! The end product was surprisingly sweet and sooooo delicious. The crust was rich and tasty and held up well. I followed the directions as is, except sprinkled herbs de provence on each tomato layer since I did not have fresh herbs on hand. The combination of the sweet onions and the tomatoes was superb. A great summer dinner! Prep was lengthy, but if you don't mind it the results are a great way to enjoy fresh tomatoes!
M
Some recommendations: have two small onions (am an onion lover) because I found one was not enough to cover it. Also, two pieces of bacon? Not a fanatical bacon lover, but this should have 4-6 strips crumbled into it--plus a couple more to nibble on the side. Bought a 16-oz container of pimento cheese and it needs it. As said before, I had to blob it on top of the tomatoes.
Sheila
Making this pie took a full afternoon (mainly due to the crust). The result was great, even eaten cold the next day - would be nice picnic fare. I didn't have enough tomatoes, so I also used a peach and some corn (call it "Summer Bounty Pie"). I was very aggressive with removing liquid from the tomatoes (several changes of PTs), and I microwaved the peach slices for a minute and blotted them as well. I suggest Melissa Clark's tomato crostata for those wanting less work.
Susan
Many thanks to everyone who has shared their notes. I made this yesterday. After draining them on paper towels I oven roasted the tomatoes by placing them on oiled parchment. I lightly salted and peppered them, sprinkled about a teaspoon of a dried italian herb mix and drizzled olive oil on top. They roasted at 350 for 30 minutes. I used 6 slices of regular bacon and next time will use thick cut and maybe more! I used a liberal amount of fresh ground pepper in the crust. Everyone loved it.
Frank Ball
This crust is extraordinary tasting and easy to work with. Will use again for savory tarts, pies, and hand pies.
Renee
Time consuming but absolutely worth it. Followed to the letter; used parsley and basil and then two of us proceeded to eat nearly the whole thing. I'll make a hearty, protein-rich side next time to avoid that.
Meredith
Fabulous. I did roast the tomatoes first, and I cheated with a store bought, but fancy (all-butter), crust because we have a newborn and who has the time? Followed everything else to a letter (using sage, chives, thyme, and, hear me out, the smallest sprinkle of baby dill for the herbs). Oh, I did add a touch more bacon than the recipe calls for. I seriously hate tomatoes but I had two servings of this pie. So delicious.
Anne
OMG Delicious ...all the comments below are spot..it takes about 4 hrs from start to oven but worth it. The pimento cheese topping was not enough for a 9" pie so I doubled it and that worked perfectly, not too thick or thin. Also 2 strips of bacon is silly...I used 4 thick sliced but could have used more easily. I too was diligent about reducing water in the tomatoes...changing paper towels once during the 1 hr process and using more meaty tomatoes (large past type for about half).
Lucy M.
Took to a pie party last night and this was a hit! Used different kinds of tomatoes, heirloom and a couple Roma, crust couldn’t have been easier to work with, and the pimiento topping and herbs amazing. Dry your tomatoes well before assembling the pie. Not soggy, just juicy, but delicious!
Nina
Well I liked the taste but I felt the quantities were off. Definitely needs much, much more caramelized onion. After caramelization, there was only 3 tablespoons of onion to distribute between the layers. I would caramelize no less than six onions, to have a nice 1/4 inch layer at least to place atop the tomatoes. As it was, there was barely a sprinkle of onions to distribute. Also the bacon. Definitely use a 1/2 pound not two strips, and not thick cut. Crumble it up and distribute.
SarahSizzlers
This is labor intensive to make — all that chopping. But my guests loved it. It is good for outdoor events because it is served at room temp. Tips:Pay close attention to getting the water out of the tomatoes and not adding in water by cooking onions until golden brown. I let my tomatoes sit for two hours with kosher salt and multiple rounds of paper towels. Drain well as you put them in. Liquid collects into the baking sheet.
samantha
Awesome! Add more bacon, pimentos and onion.
kf
why not put the tomatoes on top of the cheese
Anne
OMG Delicious ...all the comments below are spot..it takes about 4 hrs from start to oven but worth it. The pimento cheese topping was not enough for a 9" pie so I doubled it and that worked perfectly, not too thick or thin. Also 2 strips of bacon is silly...I used 4 thick sliced but could have used more easily. I too was diligent about reducing water in the tomatoes...changing paper towels once during the 1 hr process and using more meaty tomatoes (large past type for about half).
JaneB
MORE BACON! Lots more. Mozzarella on top is lovely
Susan
Many thanks to everyone who has shared their notes. I made this yesterday. After draining them on paper towels I oven roasted the tomatoes by placing them on oiled parchment. I lightly salted and peppered them, sprinkled about a teaspoon of a dried italian herb mix and drizzled olive oil on top. They roasted at 350 for 30 minutes. I used 6 slices of regular bacon and next time will use thick cut and maybe more! I used a liberal amount of fresh ground pepper in the crust. Everyone loved it.
Edith
My tomatoes were still a bit “early season” not the best - so I sliced, sprinkled with salt, and slow roasted on a cookie sheet (250° oven 3-4 hours) which solved the “too much liquid” problem. It was a huge success.
Zaza C
This was super delicious and, yes, a lot of work. I made a mistake and used my 9” deep pie dish so the pie shell was only 3/4 full.Followed the recipe exactly and I would just say pull back on the salt if you’re sensitive to it. Between the bacon, cheddar and salting the tomatoes, it didn’t need any more for our taste.Also took a commenter’s advice and changed the paper towels to capture more of the moisture from the tomatoes. Pie was not wet at all.
Euphemia Thompson
I made this only this morning (8/9/21) for the first time. I did not blind bake the crust. Instead, I poured a bit of melted butter over the bottom, and baked the filled pie for 15 min on 425, and 30 min on 375. It was fabulous. The only other adjustment I made was to slice the tomatoes and roast them for 40 minutes to dry them. It seems that's the trick to no wateriness.
pamela
I don’t mind turning on the oven for this family summertime favorite. Although, this time I wish I had made an addition amount of dough so rolling and crimping was easier. I add freshly ground black pepper to the dough, Tabasco to the pimento cheese and additional bacon to the pie. And squeeze the tomatoes aggressively and then some more. It’s delicious.
Kelsey
I’m not sure what I’m missing based on other glowing reviews, but this recipe was incredibly time consuming and did not turn out well. The taste was OK but the bottom crust was really soggy. I think the same flavor profile could have been achieved by making a toasted pimento cheese, tomato, and bacon sandwich. Not worth the effort.
Euphemia Thompson
Roast the sliced tomatoes first. It makes all the difference. I did, and it was wonderful.
Meredith
Fabulous. I did roast the tomatoes first, and I cheated with a store bought, but fancy (all-butter), crust because we have a newborn and who has the time? Followed everything else to a letter (using sage, chives, thyme, and, hear me out, the smallest sprinkle of baby dill for the herbs). Oh, I did add a touch more bacon than the recipe calls for. I seriously hate tomatoes but I had two servings of this pie. So delicious.
Dana Isaac
This was so delicious! The only change I made, due to realizing I forgot to buy pimentos, was to slice up two bell peppers and caramelize them with the onions. Topping with just the cheese and mayo was still good. A trick I used from a different tomato tart recipe suggests mixing 1/4 cup of cornmeal with equal amount of finely grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on bottom of crust to absorb juices and it worked well with this recipe.
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