Cheesy Southern Tomato Pie

A well made Southern tomato pie contains little more than fresh plump tomatoes, a mixture of cheese, mayonnaise (it’s gotta be Duke’s), and chopped fresh herbs such as basil. Thoughtfully layered and baked in a flaky crust until bubbly, it’s the essence of a good, hot summer. Like any Southern tomato pie worth its salt, this recipe superbly showcases the fact that tomatoes and mayo are perfect partners.

Savory tomato pies have roots in the South at least as far back as the 1830s, when they often included a meat, like beef or mutton, that was eventually left out of most recipes. There are even sweet versions of tomato pie, though less common, featuring under-ripe green tomatoes tossed with butter, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a dessert that's somewhat similar to apple pie. According to southern food historian David Shields’ Southern Provisions: The Creation and Revival of a Cuisine, you find savory tomato pie throughout the Carolinas, especially the flat coastal areas of the low country. It’s a filling way to make the most out of summer’s bounty of tomatoes.

This classic version of Southern tomato pie we're sharing here has a certain retro feel, like something you'd be delighted to find alongside the green bean casserole and cheese balls at a 1950s potluck. Bright and sweet tomatoes are seasoned and bathed with mayo and a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses to make a humble pie that’s the perfect main course for an end-of-summer supper or leisurely weekend brunch. Just add a simple green salad to complete the meal. 

While this tomato pie is relatively easy to make, there are a few challenges to be aware of. Juicy ripe tomatoes can quickly turn the flaky pie crust soggy, and the mayonnaise and cheese filling needs to be properly seasoned to complement the tomatoes' fresh, sweet flavor. We enlisted the help of recipe developer Marianne Williams at our Birmingham, Alabama test kitchen to develop a juicy, rich Southern tomato pie recipe that avoided these common pitfalls. Read on for her tips and to get the full recipe for Southern tomato pie.

Tips for the Best Southern Tomato Pie

Choose ripe, in-season tomatoes. As clichéd as it may sound, this pie really is a celebration of summer’s tomato bounty. We want to reinforce that to make a great tomato pie, you need to start with fresh, in-season tomatoes. Skip those sad plastic-packed supermarket tomatoes and hold out for peak summer tomatoes from your local farmers market or even your own backyard. A larger heirloom variety such as Brandywine or Amana orange will work well here. 

Salt and drain the tomatoes before baking. We at Serious Eats firmly believe that salt can improve your tomatoes, and this tomato pie is a prime example of when it is worth taking the additional time to salt your tomatoes before using them in the pie.

As Kenji points out in his panzanella salad recipe, salting the tomatoes draws liquid out of them through the process of osmosis—that is, the tendency of a liquid (tomato juice) to migrate across a membrane (the tomato's cell walls) from an area of low solute concentration (within the cells) to an area of high solute concentration (outside of the cells). Simply put, salt draws out excess liquid, which concentrates the tomatoes' flavor. Drawing out excess moisture also ensures that the pie retains a creamy, sliceable texture and doesn't get soggy. Make sure to flip the tomatoes occasionally and to pat them thoroughly dry before layering into the pie.

Par-bake the crust before filling the pie. We blind bake the pie shell before filling for the same reason we take the time to salt the tomatoes—it mitigates the risk of a soggy pie bottom. Pre-baking the shaped but empty pie dough also ensures that the filling is bubbly and hot at the same time the crust turns crisp and golden. When we initially tested baking the pie without pre-baking the crust, the filling cooked before the pie dough fully baked. To guarantee the pie dough remains flat and smooth once baked, don’t forget to lightly prick the bottom of the pie shell before lining it with aluminum foil and pie weights. Pricking the pie shell is known as “docking” the dough; the small holes allow excess steam to escape from the dough as it bakes, which prevents air bubbles from forming and helps the dough bake more evenly.

Use a blend of three cheeses in the filling. To create a rich, cohesive and flavorful filling, Williams found that a combination of three cheeses worked best. The aged white cheddar is nutty, the yellow cheddar is sharp, and the mozzarella cheese helps bind everything together into a cohesive mixture once melted.

Stick with Duke’s mayo if possible. We don’t usually call out a specific brand of mayonnaise in a recipe, but this thick and tangy Southern mayo really is the best pairing with tomatoes, according to Williams and our various testers who tasted this pie. If it’s a Southern tomato pie, it’s gotta have Duke’s in it. But, if Duke’s isn’t an option where you live, feel free to sub in your preferred mayo brand. A pinch of garlic powder and a bit of Dijon enhance the filling’s savory, tangy flavor, and you can always use a bit more of each in the recipe if you're going with a less tangy mayo than Duke's.

Wait before slicing into the pie. When this savory cheese pie comes out of the oven, it’s tempting to slice into it right away when piping hot and gooey, but hold off. If you cut into the pie while it’s still too hot, you won’t be serving pie slices, but rather molten cheese and tomato blobs. We recommend waiting at least an hour before slicing. Even after sitting for an hour on the counter, the pie will still have a warm, soft cheese filling, but it will be both firm enough to hold its shape when sliced and cool enough to enjoy without burning the roof of your mouth.