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The Best Ever Fresh Tomato Pie
There's a widely known belief that every meal has to have a meat in it to be complete. But this simply isn't true. There are so many fresh vegetable options available, with the potential for so much amazing flavor, we are limiting or possibilities by not taking advantage of all they have to offer us.
Fresh tomatoes are so easy to come by, and are even easier to grow yourself at home. We purchased a couple of infant tomato plants a couple of months ago to grow on our patio, and they are flourishing and regularly giving us delicious tomatoes.
We use them in just about every dish we make now, especially when they can be the star of the show.
Health Benefits of Tomatoes
Tomatoes are one of the healthiest foods you could possibly eat. Tomatoes are widely known for their outstanding antioxidant content, including, of course, their rich concentration of lycopene. Lycopene specifically is well-known for it's ability to keep our bones healthy, and the antioxidants keep our whole body healthy serving also as an anti-cancer fruit.
Fresh tomatoes and tomato extracts have been shown to help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. They are also high in Vitamin C, beta-carotene, and Vitamin E. By keeping tomatoes a regular part of your daily diet, you are giving your body the best fighting chance to stay consistently healthy, and illness free.
Cook Time
Ingredients
- 1 (2 count) package refrigerated pie shells, (or you can make your own)
- 7 large ripe tomatoes
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise, (can sub in sour cream or yogurt)
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a deep dish pie dish generously with cooking spray.
- While the oven is heating up, slice, dice, or chop all of your tomatoes and place them in a colander to drain until they are ready. I suggest really thin slices for your tomatoes so they cook well.
- Bake your first pastry shell according to the package, or for about 15, until it's golden brown.
- While the pie crust is cooking, slice up your onion. Once again this can be sliced, diced, or chopped, but I recommend thin slices. I like onion but not so much I want a huge hunk of it in my mouth.
- In a medium bowl, pour your mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and mayo. Mayonnaise really grosses me out, so I always substitute sour cream or yogurt. Either would be just fine. One would just be a little sweeter and the other a little more tart.
- Remove your beautifully browned pie crust from the over and allow to cool slightly.
- Increase the heat of your oven to 400 degrees F.
- As your oven is heating, you can begin layering all of your ingredients in your cooled pie crust.
- Begin by arranging your onions in the bottom of the pie crust.
- Next, spread the tomatoes evenly across your onions in the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper to bring out the flavor of the vegetables.
- Spread your cheese mixture evenly across your tomatoes so that they are completely covered.
- Chop up all of your herbs finely, or process all of them together in a food processor.
- If you would like a double crust, sprinkle the pie with your fresh herbs, and then this would be the time to lay out your second crust and flute the edges for aesthetics.
- If your would prefer a single crust, pop it into the oven as is for about 35 to 40 minutes. When the pie is done, sprinkle it with your fresh herbs right out of the oven.
- For another alternative, In addition to the tomatoes, also lay out freshly sliced zucchini and squash for a squash and tomato pie, or asparagus for an asparagus and tomato pie. There are so many great options!
- Yummy!
Nutritional Information
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Serving size: 1/8 slice of pie | |
Calories | 283 |
Calories from Fat | 216 |
% Daily Value * | |
Fat 24 g | 37% |
Carbohydrates 14 g | 5% |
Fiber 2 g | 8% |
Protein 4 g | 8% |
Cholesterol 14 mg | 5% |
Sodium 306 mg | 13% |
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. |
Personal Review
This is one great dish that even kids enjoy! Chocked full of fragrant spices and yummy cheese, it's a wonder I didn't discover this recipe sooner.
One thing I discovered making this amazing dish is how juicy the tomatoes can be. I would recommend draining them in a colander after cutting them to keep the pie from being quite as watery.
Although the mayonnaise does bring the pie a great deal of flavor, it really grosses me out. I've never liked mayo. If you feel the same way, I would suggest substituting the mayo in the pie for sour cream or even yogurt. It changes the flavor just a little, but is just as good if not a little healthier.
Finally, the cherry on top of this incredible recipe is to make your own pie crusts. Check out my Flaky Pie Crust recipe to make double crusts easily for this pie.