Gardening is perceived as a relaxing activity. Seed packets tell you when to plant and when to harvest. It seems so simple.
Talk to a gardener, though, and they’ll tell you otherwise. Leaf-footed bugs or lady beetles posing as lady bugs can ruin your whole day. Then there’s that moment of panic when twenty green tomatoes ripen all on the same day.
If I had it my way, one or two tomatoes would ripen each day, just enough for my daily tomato and pimento cheese sandwich for lunch. As nature would have it, it’s feast or famine.
In the South, when someone says, “What am I going to do with all of these tomatoes?” they’re likely to be asked if they’ve made a tomato pie yet.
A Dish Born from Summer Abundance
I planted seven varieties of indeterminate tomatoes in my garden this year. With names like Big Beef, Better Boy, and Park’s Whopper, my expectations were set high for some nice slicing tomatoes.
When planting my young seedlings at the beginning of April, my mouth salivated thinking of thick slices of tomatoes, salted and peppered, between two slices of Sunbeam bread skimmed with some Duke’s mayo. A Southern summer sandwich delight.
The reality is that seven tomato plants were far more than I needed. (I think this is where the term “your eyes are bigger than your stomach” comes from.) My kitchen windowsill is now lined with various shades and sizes of red tomatoes waiting for their final destination.
This is not a phenomenon unique to me. With a long growing season in the South, farmers markets across the state draw a crowd of shoppers each Saturday morning looking for homegrown tomatoes… and there will be an abundance of them.
Obvious solutions to the problem of too many tomatoes include homemade salsa, fresh pasta sauce, and even canning tomatoes. But there is nothing more Southern than a tomato pie on the dinner table or at a church potluck.
The Tradition Behind Southern Tomato Pie
The South is a region that reveres tradition and heritage. When it comes to food, those traditions have long crossed social and economic lines. Whether served in a farmhouse or a fine home, Southern tables have been set with many of the same dishes for generations, including tomato pie.
Southerners pass along recipes as though they are heirloom quilts or sterling silver teapots. A perfected recipe for cheese straws or benne wafers will suddenly get a name added to them, Betty Ann’s Cheese Straws or Janet’s Benne Wafers.
Brides are often given recipe cards at bridal showers for traditional meals they may want to serve in the future. A recipe for Southern tomato pie may be tucked into the ribbon of a wrapped pie plate. A new pie plate and a recipe to fill it with is a treasured gift.
Once you’ve made a tomato pie, it’s easy to see why this dish has endured on Southern tables for generations.
Many of the ingredients in the recipe are within reach of the kitchen. Simply by opening the kitchen door, I have all the herbs and tomatoes I need. A handful of tomatoes, a few basil leaves, and a snip of chives were all collected from a single garden bed in my backyard.
Other ingredients like pie crust, mayonnaise, and cheese are commonly found in the refrigerator or freezer. By using pantry staples and garden produce, it’s easy to pull together a delicious dinner or something to bring to a gathering.
Hospitality in the South is an opportunity to share heirloom recipes. Your next gathering is a chance to show why tomato pie has endured on Southern tables for generations.
Adapting a Classic for Today’s Table
While tomato pie is standard on many Southern summer tables, it’s not one that should be thrown together all willy-nilly.
As a child, I wasn’t a fan of tomato pie. I tried one that wasn’t very good, and no one could get me to try it again for years. When I was young, the problem I had with that particular tomato pie was the amount of mayonnaise. And considering that mayonnaise is a key ingredient, that was tricky.
Another issue that many tomato pies have is a watery, soggy filling. No one wants to eat tomato soup in a pie shell.
I tested and refined my recipe using classic ingredients, while updating them for modern palates. Combining fresh herbs and a perfect ratio of mayonnaise and cheese, I’ve created a tomato pie recipe that is lighter in texture, holds its structure, and maintains the identity of a traditional Southern tomato pie.
Southern Tomato Pie with Garden Herbs
After testing and refining this recipe throughout tomato season, this is the version I’ll be making whenever my kitchen windowsill begins to fill with ripe summer tomatoes.
Southern Tomato Pie with Garden Herbs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on paper towels. Spring with ¾ teaspoon of the kosher salt.
- Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Turn the tomato slices, blot with fresh paper towels, and let stand an additional 15 minutes.
- Pat the tomatoes dry once more immediately before assembling the pie.
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F
- Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch deep-dish plate and crimp the edges as desired.
- Place the pie plate on a rimmed backing sheet. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill completely with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake for 18 minutes.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper and weights.
- Return the crust to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the bottom looks dry and just begins to turn light golden.
- Immediately sprinkle the 3-4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese evenly over the hot crust and allow it to melt.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 °F
- While the tomatoes drain and the crust bakes, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar cheese, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, onion, basil, chives, thyme, remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper, and Cayenne in a mixing bowl.
- Stir until well combined.
- Leave the filling at room temperature while assembling the pie.
- Arrange a layer of tomato slices over the prepared crust.
- Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread a thin, even layer of the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.
- Repeat the layers until all of the tomatoes have been used.
- Finish with the remaining cheese mixture, spreading it evenly over the top of the pie.
- Keeping the pie on a baking sheet, bake at 350 °F for 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is lightly golden.
- Transfer the pie to a cooling rack.
- Allow the pie to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. For the cleanest slices, allow 75-90 minutes of cooling time. The pie will still be pleasantly warm while the filling finishes setting.
Notes
Serving Southern Tomato Pie at the Summer Table
There’s a sense of pride that comes with setting the table with a meal made from ingredients you grew. Whether you’re making tomato pie for a casual brunch after church or serving a cherished tomato pie recipe to your garden club, this pie will disappear in minutes.
If you’re coming to my house for lunch in the summertime, there’s a good chance that you’ll be served tomato pie. A slice of tomato pie on a blue willow plate, paired with fresh cucumbers and onions and slices of peaches, is one of my favorite summertime meals.
More Than a Recipe
Tomato Pie isn’t simply a dish Southerners eat in the summer. Like deviled eggs at Easter or chicken mull in the fall, tomato pie is a tradition that endures.
As I was writing this article, I invited a friend to be my official taste-tester. I knew I had perfected the recipe when she said, “Oh my. This is it – this is summer on a plate.”
I sent her home that afternoon with a grocery sack of heirloom tomatoes, a half-eaten tomato pie, and the recipe written down on a piece of notebook paper.
Like Betty Ann’s Cheese Straws and Janet’s Benne Wafers, my friend has named this Abby’s Tomato Pie.
This article contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. The simple tools and timeless serving pieces used throughout this feature are part of my everyday summer kitchen. I’ve linked many of them in my LTK collection for readers who’d like to explore them further.
Check out these other reader favorites:
- A Southern Classic for Fall: How to Make Chicken Mull
- A Southern Sweet Potato Pie Recipe from a Vintage Southern Cookbook
- Lemon Chess Pie: A Classic Southern Recipe That Still Belongs on Today’s Table
- A Southern Garden in Late Spring
- Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake: A Southern Classic for Summer Gatherings
