I’d never even heard of “tomato pie” until last summer, but as soon as I was introduced to the idea I knew it was something I had to try. So after attempting a few different variations I am excited to share this recipe with you today. Serve it for dinner with steamed broccoli or a big green salad, and if you are lucky enough to have at least one piece leftover the next day have it for breakfast with some scrambled or fried eggs on the side – yum. How do you eat your tomato pie?
Tomato Pie (with corn and a whole-wheat crust)
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 2 cups whole-wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Filling:
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 3/4 pound Roma tomatoes, Romas will keep this dish from becoming too watery
- 1 1/2 cup corn, kernels from about 3 ears corn
- 2 tablespoons basil, fresh chopped, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- In a food processor fitted with a dough blade, pulse together the flour, baking powder and salt. Sprinkle in the cold butter chunks on top being careful to spread out the pieces so as not to form one big clump. Run the food processor again until it resembles a coarse meal, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
While the processor is going, pour the milk through the feed tube at the top. If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour and if it's too crumbly add a little more milk. Turn the machine off and bring the dough together into a ball using your hands. Divide it in two and place one half in the fridge (wrapped in plastic). Note: The pie crust can be made without a food processor using your hands or a fork.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out one of the dough balls onto a floured surface until it is about 12" in diameter and 1/8" thick. Carefully place it in the pie plate (folding it in half can ease the transition from the counter to the baking dish) and pat the dough down into the corners with your fingers. Trim any excess off the edges.
For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and start a large pot of boiling water on the stove.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice and set aside.
- Boil the tomatoes in the water for approximately 1 minute. Immediately transfer them to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, cut out (and dispose of) the woody stem/core and then cut each tomato in half. Gently squeeze each tomato half over a bowl in order to dispose of the seeds and juice (otherwise this liquid will collect at the bottom of your pie). Roughly chop the remaining tomato pieces.
Assemble the pie:
- Arrange half of the tomato pieces on the crust in the pie pan. Spread half of the corn kernels on top and then sprinkle with half the basil, half the salt, half the cheese, and pepper to taste. Repeat with one more layer of the remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, salt, cheese, and pepper. Pour the sour cream mixture on top.
- Roll out the remaining ball of dough into another 12" wide circle about 1/8" thick. Arrange on top of the filling and tuck under the bottom crust, pinching together to seal. Cut vents on top of the pie and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
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Hi! I love this recipe, but I’m wondering–has anybody ever tried freezing the leftovers? I’m thinking about freezing in individual portions and then thawing as needed. Any advice?
I have not – but I think it would work in individual portions!
This is not healthy. It my be whole but it is high is saturated fat. It would be a terrible start to the day.
I’ve been making my way through your recipe index, trying as many main dishes as I can, for a few weeks now, but was craving my favorite tomato & corn pie. The Smitten Kitchen version is the one I’ve always made, it and sounds like you’ve made a whole grain version of it (with some other tweaks, I’m sure.) I’m so excited to try it!
As I start to read through your blog I see so many, many recipes with whole wheat. I have autoimmune gluten enteropathy – so basically no gluten at all. What would you suggest is the best grain if I want a wrap or some sort of carb besides brown rice.
Hello Terri. Quinoa is a highly nutritious and versatile pseudo-grain and you are starting to find products such as crackers, chips, and wraps made from it.
I made this last night, and it is delicious. I did not boil the tomatoes before chopping, and I used frozen corn instead of fresh, and also used 8 ounces of sour cream with about 1 and 1/12 tablespoons of lemon juice since the sour cream mixture didn’t quite cover the tomatoes.
This looks really good! I’m going to veganize this recipe. Do you think this pie can be baked with just the bottom crust?
Hi there. That is not something we’ve tried. I can’t predict the outcome especially if you are making several changes. Let us know how it goes. :)