tomato pie
July 7, 2014 § 68 Comments
Savory pies are just about my favorite thing. With left over ingredients from our caprese salad I knew just what to make for breakfast Saturday morning. You could call this caprese pie.
the lovely papercut art by Nikki McClure, a wonderful artist from Olympia, Washington…
Whenever I head out to the market I always ask the guys if there is anything special they would like me to pick up. And my son always says “CAPRESE SALAD”! I am not kidding when I say always. He loves it, especially made with the fresh stretched mozzarella available at our market. I am always delighted when he doesn’t request something sugary or a highly processed snack food. And it is quite satisfying having your teenage son in the kitchen preparing a caprese salad for dinner.
As for the pie, I always follow Molly Katzen’s quiche formula whenever I make a custard style pie. Her recipe has never failed me. Once you assemble the basic groundwork, choices for the filling are limitless. After your crust is in place the first layer to place upon the crust is grated cheese. The fat in the cheese melts and forms a moisture resistant barrier between the filling and the crust, thus helping to keep the crust from getting soggy. For the filling, vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms and onions need to be steamed or sautéed prior to layering onto the pie. Here I used uncooked tomatoes which was quite nice in keeping a fresh, raw flavor, much like caprese salad. After applying the filling over the cheese, add the custard, which is 4 eggs and 1-1/2 cups milk, top with cherry tomatoes and bake in a 375°F oven for 35 – 40 minutes. Simple, straightforward. casual or elegant.
I n g r e d i e n t s
- basic pie crust
- 1 cup grated cheese, such as swiss, gruyére, sharp or medium cheddar
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/8th inch slices (I used enough for 8 round slices)
- 3 roma tomatoes, sliced
- a few sprigs basil
- approximately 20 cherry tomatoes, sliced in 1/2
- 4 eggs
- 1-1/2 cup milk
Prepare your pie crust and place onto your pie pan. Deposit both the grated cheese and parmesan directly upon the crust. Add roma tomato slices, mozzarella slices and basil. Beat together 4 eggs and 1-1/2 cups milk and pour it over the top. Finish the top with cherry tomatoes. Bake 35-40 minutes at 375°F.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
Oh, you hit my “sweet” spot, which is also for savory pies… I don’t have any desire to indulge in apple pie, peach pie, but a savory pie like this one, is a dream!
Great post, I am pinning this recipe!
I know what you mean Sally, savory pies are so wonderful. I really enjoy making them for breakfast. Thank you for pinning and hope you get a chance to make this one. :)
This looks fantastic and a great way to use wonderful summer tomatoes.
Hi Jovina. It’s true and I am patiently waiting for the tomatoes to ripen! Looks like it will be a good year for tomatoes this year. Not always the case here in the Pacific Northwest…
What a wonderful use of your leftover caprese ingredients! We just had caprese salad last night and sort of made ourselves eat it all while it was fresh rather than have leftovers. Next time, I will remember that it is ok to have leftover caprese and make this savory pie instead. Your pies and quiches always turn out so beautifully, Seana. :)
:) That’s funny, well, I always seem to buy a larger “ball” of mozzarella than we need. It never goes to waste with Talent around. He’ll eat it without tomatoes and basil! Still thinking of your Emigrant Lake hike. It is so beautiful up there isn’t it! I love the glacier polished granite mountains.
Looks beautiful! I’ve been thinking of making something similar lately, one of my summer favorites :)
Great! This is a new summer favorite for me now too. Such a perfect custard in this pie. Hope you find the time to make it. It’s wonderful.
I love quiche and caprese salad is my favorite too, I’m with your son. I will try the recipe from Katzen, your pie looks absolutely beautiful and perfect and delicious too!
Thank you Suzanne! Such a nice comment. Yes, this is from her book The Enchanted Broccoli Forest which I have had on my shelf for AGES! I really used this book quite a bit when I was a vegetarian. Great quiche recipe.
What a beautiful pie! I too am waiting for tomatoes to ripen…
Thank you. Yes, they just don’t ripen soon enough do they? I was able to pick up a very good punnet of cherry tomatoes last week. Just like candy.
I am a slave to mozzarella, fresh wonderful, delightful mozzarella. Beautiful pie ~
:) Yes, mozzarella is heavenly. Thank you, we really loved this pie. Such a wonderful combination for a custard pie.
I love savory pies, perfect for any meal of the day. Thank you for sharing your favorite quiche formula, will try this myself.
I agree Cheri. This is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner…or even a snack. :) Hope you try it, so fresh and delicious.
Caprese salad is a favorite in my home.
The pie looks so appealing and tasty. Although, it has a lot of cheese (aka-cholesterol) I will have to make this soon. I know my husband and I will just love it since it does have some of our favorite ingredients in it.
I never even think about cholesterol when I eat cheese! :) Well, I guess I would if I was watching my intake. Hope you enjoy if you get a chance to make one! We certainly enjoyed…thank you for stopping in Bobbi.
Yay you are back Seana :). I have missed you on blogosphere! And what a comeback with such a delightful recipe :).
Sonal. Hi. You are too sweet. Thank you for your kind support. It is nice to put up a post today and say hi to all my friends! I’m playing a little catch up right now, so I’ll see you in a bit at your place! :)
I would call it “damn fine looking caprese pie”. I want that now…
…please?
Smiley face
:) smiley right back at you!
that looks very delicious. mmmmm pie :)
Yes….mmmmmm pie. :) Love it.
Wow this looks so delicious. I like savory pies for breakfast too. I know why your son always asks for caprese. What’s better than caprese? Well, maybe caprese pie. There is nothing better than fresh ripe tomatoes. This is so lovely. You really are a master of the quiche.
Great way to have your eggs in the morning, which we just have to have every Saturday and Sunday. Smoothies midweek and eggs on the weekend. :) And good question, “what’s better than caprese?” Especially with really good ripe tomatoes. I feel a spicy binge coming on though!
What a beautiful pie. I wish I was waking up to it for breakfast. All my favourite flavours rolled into one. Love the ‘quiche formula’ too. It really does make sense.
Hi there! It’s true, these really are such wonderful flavors together. We love marguerite pizza too and this is right up there in flavor. It is really nice to see your comment today. Thank you!
Pinned and Tweeted :)
Thank you so much! :)
So good to know that about the cheese on the base! It’s so seldom I make quiche as there’s usually too much for just me. But I do have small tartlet tins now – that I never use. Shame on me. Must, must try this technique. As I’ve never been keen on soggy pastry. BTW, are you on Pinterest these days?
I would really like to own some small pie tins. I was pleasantly surprised with this quiche. The custard turned out perfectly and I am not sure how that happened other than maybe it was because I used whole milk. Honestly I am so bad when it comes to anything other than this blog. I have a Pinterest account but I haven’t posted one photograph on it! Shame on me! :)
What a delicious looking tart! I love the tip about the cheese on the bottom. What a great way to include more cheese :)
Finding that little bit of information about the cheese at the bottom of the quiche really made a difference. Good thing you eat eggs! Maybe you could try this pie? :)
Seana, I have a copy of The Moosewood Cookbook on my shelf, which I love – so many beautiful, nourishing recipes! Your caprese pie is delightful and sings of summer, when tomatoes and fresh basil are in abundance! I’ll be making this come December! :)
Hi Margot! The Moosewood Cookbook is fabulous! I used to own that cookbook and gave it to my mom years ago. I do own The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, which I love. Seems so odd to hear you’ll be enjoying this when your tomatoes are harvesting in December! :) Even though I really enjoy summer vegetables and fruits my real love is late fall, early winter. Nice to see you here today!
it looks so delicious! i going to make it tomorrow, i have a feeling it will be a hit, thanks for sharing!
Hi Elena! Thank you so much for commenting. It is great to hear from you. I think you are right, this will be a hit with the family! Say hi to everyone and hope the heat isn’t too much in Cali. Let me know how the pie goes. :)
I think I’m addicted to tomatoes! This looks and sounds delicious Seana and with sweet cherry tomatoes, no need to wait for summer!
You and me both! Although I always buy local vegetables in season I don’t have any hesitation at all to purchase them in the off season too. Where we live there is always an abundance of vegetables year round. Sitting between Canada and Mexico we have a nice supply of tomatoes all year. :)
The Pie look so good :) Loved how your Pie came out so perfectly!
Thank you. :) It is a very foolproof recipe.
Lovely looking pastry on that delicious pie..
Talk about lovely looking pastry…your “…and thyme rich” post is stunning.
It seems everybody does make caprese :D I like it too, it’s so light and tasty. Your pie looks wonderful! Indeed, it’s great for breakfast or lunch.
Thank you! Caprese seems to be summer’s quintessential dish. It was lovely using the ingredients for a pie. And I agree it’s great for breakfast or lunch…with a salad. :)
what a lovely combination of frittata/pizza/omelet/casserole/salad :-D Everything you could possibly want in one dish. Yum.
Funny because caprese ingredients do make a lovely pizza, casserole or omelet, so why not a pie? Right! :) I just saw your comment…a little late I’d say. Always nice to hear from you Liz!
Yum! What a simultaneous simple but fancy-looking pie!
Hi there! It was very simple (just the way I love to cook) and yet fancy. :) I love meals like that.
This is a great looking weekend breakfast!
Thank you Mary Frances! :)
Oh, how I’ve missed you, Seana! It’s so good to see you…. and this absolutely gorgeous tomato pie. It looks so delicious…I’m definitely going to make this for the girls and I. Well…you know Mr. Fuss budget will not touch it…but that’s ok, I’ll eat his share!
Wonderful post… I hope all is well. I think about you everyday, and hope that everything is going perfectly for you. <3
Thank you Prudy. Nice to hear from you…I enjoyed your post this morning. Fabulous looking scones! Enjoy the up and coming weekend.
A foodie invitation…Come join our new vegetarian food group on Facebook and post your yummy recipes, pictures and blog links…Let’s all share and connect through food! :)
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1433687623575418?ref=m_notif¬if_t=group_activity
Hi Dimple. Sounds like a great invitation! Now, all I need to do is get a Facebook! Yes, I am one of those pathetic people who don’t have one…
Would you believe I made a tomato pie for dinner this week? Truly I did. I bought My French Kitchen (after seeing it on your blog – only I couldn’t find it secondhand..) and was inspired by a tomato pie in there. However, I ad-libbed and made my own. I was going to blog it until I made something else today which I could not resist posting. When I saw your pie – I decided that we just might be related! ;)
Really? I grabbed my book and am trying to see what inspired you. Is it the roasted tomato tart? I wish you would post it, but then whatever you made today must be wonderful if you cannot resist posting. :) I just saw you other comment a few hours before this one and you didn’t have anything in mind for dinner and now you have something wonderful to post. I like how you operate…
Yes -that was the starting point – the roasted tomato tart. I did something like a tart nicoise – anchovy, caramelized onions, tomatoes, olives and cheese. It was really really good but not as pretty as yours. I made it earlier this week and planned to post it but then – got booted by the little chocolate peanut butter brownie pots. Even though I know to post more savoury things – somehow I get diverted…;)
That sounds really good, so creative and unique. I can’t get enough tarts and pies. I’ll keep an eye out just in case you decide to post it anyway!
savory pies hits the spot every time. This tomato pie is so beautiful and delectable.
Very true. I agree, I could eat savory pie everyday! Thank you Fae. :)
This looks so good! I may have to reblog this.
Yes! Please do. It ‘s wonderful and needs to be shared. :)
Wonderful!!!!
You are amazing Seana– looks summer perfect. We have piles of tomatoes– not from our meagre crop– but our neighbor next door, an older man alone, keeps bringing us bags of his bountiful crop!! thanks.
What a fantastic neighbor. I adore growing tomatoes, but I have to admit if I had such a generous neighbor I may think twice about growing them. :) It’s a bit of work with watering and all…but I imagine it is much better running out to our own gardens for the spur of the moment tomato need! I love homegrown tomatoes!
It is really satisfying to harvest from your yard– I think we just need to be better “farmers.” Beautiful savory dish Seana!