It must be a Southern thing…even the name just sounds southern when you say it. Like you need to emphasize your southern accent when you say “tomato pie”.  My girls gave me a recipe book for Mother’s Day a few years ago that I had mentioned I wanted. It’s a good one. Mary Kay Andrews’ Beach House Cookbook…yes author Mary Kay Andrews. When you flip through the pages you just want a beach house where you can cook all the recipes for your friends and family after a day on the beach.

This recipe for tomato pie is actually the first one I’ve made. When a group of girlfriends were getting together recently this recipe just seemed like a good option to try (you can only try out new recipes on good friends and some family). Others just won’t give you grace for the failures! lol!

This tomato recipe is a little different than the traditional ones as it calls for a layer of pimento cheese in it. And she gives a great homemade pimento cheese recipe if you want to give it a go…but no judgement if you go by a plastic tub of your favorite grocery store brand.

But trust me…if you like tomatoes and cheese…this recipe is a winner!

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced

Salt

1 refrigerated pie crust (or frozen deep dish pie crust)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup cooked, crumbled bacon

8 basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus basil leaves for garnish (optional)

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 cup pimento cheese (see the homemade recipe for Ritualistic Pimento Cheese)

Directions:

1. Place tomatoes on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle generously with the salt, and let stand for about 1 hour. Pat dry.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the pie crust and fit into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Fold and crimp the edges. (Skip this step if using a frozen crust). Prick the dough with a for, line with parchment paper, and fill with uncooked beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the beans or rice and paper and set aside.
3. In a bowl, stir together the mayo and Parmesan cheese. Brush the mustard all over the baked shell.
4. Arrange one third of the tomato slices on the bottom of the pie crust and sprinkle with half of the bacon, half of the sliced basil and half of the pepper. Spread the mayo mixture evenly over the tomatoes. Arrange half of the remaining tomato slices over the mayo mixture and sprinkle with the remaining bacon, sliced basil, and pepper. Spread the pimento cheese evenly over the tomatoes and then arrange the remaining tomato slices on top.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges begin to bubble. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Garnish with the basil leaves, if desired, and serve.

Have your recipe cards ready to share with your friends!