Southern Tomato Pie
If you’ve got ripe tomatoes on the counter and bacon in the fridge, this Southern Tomato Pie needs to be on your table. It’s a dish that feels like summer in every bite, creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor. Around here, we don’t let fresh summer tomatoes go to waste; we use them in one of the best ways.
When tomato season is in full swing, and when my garden is overflowing, you better believe I’m making this pie. Southern Bacon Tomato Pie is one of those tried-and-true recipes that shows up everywhere—from church potlucks to Sunday brunch. It’s comforting, flavorful, and just plain Southern. If you’ve never had it, you’re in for a treat.
If you love simple Southern recipes with summer tomatoes, then you’ll want to try my recipe for fried green tomatoes, my Southern salad with saltine crackers, and my biscuits and tomato gravy.
🍅 What Is Tomato Pie?
This southern tomato pie recipe is a great way to use fresh summer tomatoes. It has layers of ripe tomatoes, basil, bacon, caramelized onions, and a cheesy mixture baked into a pie crust. Serve it up for a light lunch or as a side dish for dinner.
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💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made with Fresh Summer Tomatoes: This recipe is perfect for using fresh garden-grown tomatoes.
- Creamy, Cheesy, and Full of Flavor: The creamy mixture makes every bite rich and satisfying.
- Simple and Southern: This recipe for tomato pie is made with a few pantry staples and fresh ingredients.
🛒 Ingredients Needed
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients. For a detailed list, refer to the recipe card below.
- Pie Crust: I use a store-bought crust. I prefer a frozen deep-dish pie crust for this recipe. This recipe fills the crust to the top. Feel free to make a homemade pie crust if desired.
- Tomatoes: Juicy summer tomatoes make this pie delicious. Slice and salt them to draw out the extra moisture. You’ll need to pat them dry before adding them to the crust. A few of my favorite fresh, ripe tomatoes are heirloom tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, and the tomatoes from my garden.
- Salt: Helps season the tomatoes and draw out moisture.
- Onion: A thinly sliced sweet onion adds to the flavor.
- Bacon: Cook until crispy and crumble for a savory pie.
- Fresh Basil: Brings freshness and balance to the pie. This is optional but adds flavor.
- Black Pepper: Add just enough to season to taste.
- Cheese: The melty cheese gives this tomato cheese pie a southern flavor. I like sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese best, but cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack, and Monterey Jack are also good choices.
- Mayonnaise: A classic ingredient that binds everything together.
- Sour Cream: Adds a creamy twist to the pie.
🔪 How to Make Tomato Pie with Bacon
For complete instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom.
This old-fashioned southern tomato pie is very simple to prepare. After you cook the bacon and onion, it comes together quickly.
Step 1: Preheat the oven and Par-Bake the Shell. Preheat your oven. Place your pie crust on a baking sheet to catch any spills that may occur. Let it thaw for about 10 minutes, then prick the bottom with a fork to keep it from puffing up. Pop it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, just until it’s lightly golden.
Step 2: Fry the Bacon. Fry bacon and place it on a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 3: Cook the Onions. Add your onions to the same skillet with the leftover bacon grease and cook until they are soft. This should take about 6–8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onions to a bowl and set them aside.
Step 4: Prep the Tomatoes. Slice your tomatoes and lay them out in a single layer on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt to draw out the extra moisture and let them sit for about 10–15 minutes.
Step 5: Mix the Filling. Mix up the cheesy topping.
Step 6: Layer the Pie. In your par-baked crust, place a thick layer of sliced tomatoes, sprinkle in the basil, and then spoon the cheese mixture over the top. Spread it out evenly so it covers the top.
Step 7: Bake. Bake for about 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
Step 8: Let it Rest. Allow the pie to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
If you love good Southern recipes, then you should try my Buttermilk Pie Recipe.
💭 Pro Tips
- Slice the tomatoes (thin slices) and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels.
- Use fresh paper towels to pat the juicy tomatoes dry and remove as much of the juice as possible, so the pie doesn’t turn out soggy. This will also help prevent the bottom of the crust from becoming soggy.
- Par-bake the crust before adding tomatoes.
- Shred your cheese yourself instead of buying pre-shredded cheese.
- Let the pie rest before slicing.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Enjoy it warm for a melty cheese texture or cold for firmer texture and deeper flavor.
The key to a great tomato pie is to remove most of the excess juice before baking it. Pat the sliced tomatoes dry before adding them to the crust. Par-bake the crust before adding the tomatoes.
Refrigerator: Cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10–12 minutes, or until warmed.
I do not recommend freezing this pie. The ingredients do not retain their quality well once thawed.
More Summer Recipes for Dinner
If you’ve tried this Southern Tomato Pie or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments. Thanks for visiting!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Southern Tomato Pie
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish pie shell par-bake
- 4 large tomatoes ripe and sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 sweet onion thinly sliced
- 6-8 slices bacon
- 8 large fresh basil leaves chopped
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and Par-Bake the Shell. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pie shell on a baking sheet and par-bake the pie shell until lightly brown. To par-bake –Thaw crust for 10 minutes, prick the bottom with a fork, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Fry the Bacon. In a medium skillet, fry bacon. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside and crumble when cooled.
- Cook the Onions. In the same skillet with the bacon grease, cook onions until translucent and slightly caramelized. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Prep the Tomatoes. Line a baking sheet with a few layers of paper towels. Slice the tomatoes and lay them on the paper towels in a single layer, then sprinkle with the salt to draw out the tomato juices. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then use fresh paper towels to pat dry the tomatoes and remove most of the juices, so the pie doesn't turn out soggy.
- Mix the Filling. In a small mixing bowl, stir together cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, bacon, onion, pepper, mayonnaise, and sour cream.
- Layer the Pie. Assemble the pie. In the pie shell, layer tomato slices, basil, and cheese mixture.
- Bake. Bake in the 375-degree oven for about 35-40 minutes.
- Rest. Let the pie rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Slice the tomatoes (thin slices) and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels.
- Use fresh paper towels to pat the juicy tomatoes dry and remove as much of the juice as possible, so the pie doesn’t turn out soggy. This will also help prevent the bottom of the crust from becoming soggy.
- Par-bake the crust before adding tomatoes.
- Shred your cheese yourself instead of buying pre-shredded cheese.
- Let the pie rest before slicing.
I haven’t made this yet. When you say layer the tomatoes, basil, and cheese mixture, do you mean 1 layer of each of several of each? A response will be appreciated as I am going to make this tomorrow nignt with my abundance of tomatoes and basil.
Hi Patti!
One layer of each- tomatoes then basil then cheese mixture. We love this pie and I hope you do too!
I have eaten this it was delicious. I have one question. Are the tomatoes peeled? I patiently await your reply.
Hi Dorothy!
I do not peel the tomatoes for this recipe. It is a delicious tomato pie! Enjoy!