Fresh Tomato Tart
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 15, 2025 
This vibrant Tomato Tart with fresh tomatoes, a creamy cheese base, and buttery crust is a great way to enjoy your summer tomatoes in a savory pie!
Tomato Tart Recipe (AKA Tomato Pie)
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
I learned to make traditional tomato pies shortly after moving to the South. The comforting combination of freshly-baked garden produce, molten cheese, and pastry crust is hard to beat.
This updated fresh tomato tart is truly beautiful inside and out, with astounding southern comfort and wilted tomatoes covering the top! Not only is this tomato tart knockout-gorgeous, but it’s also easy to make, even with a buttery made-from-scratch crust.
If you’re in a hurry, you can use a refrigerated roll-out pie crust instead. Yet I do recommend using the tart crust recipe below if you have the time.
The cheese filling under the tomatoes is a luxurious, southern blend of creamy mayonnaise, cheese, and herbs. We are using provolone cheese for its delicate flavor and amazing melting properties. However, you can use any cheese you like that shreds easily and melts smoothly.
Ingredients You Need
For the Tart Crust:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Butter, diced
- Egg
- Salt
For the Tomato Pie Filling:
- Grape or cherry tomatoes, rinsed and dried
- Sharp provolone cheese, grated (sub fontina or white cheddar)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Mayonnaise
- Green onions, chopped
- Black pepper
How to Make A Tomato Tart
Find the full Tomato Tart recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Protein Pointer – If you are looking for ways to add extra protein to all your meals, you can add 1/2 cup drained cottage cheese to the filling.
Servings Suggestions
This savory tart is the perfect center piece to any summer meal. Consider serving it as the main dish of a vegetarian meal with Couscous Salad (with Pickled Vegetables) or Farro Salad with Kale and Artichokes, Creamy Deviled Egg Pasta Salad, Pickled Watermelon Rind, and Mandarin Orange Salad.
Or serve this tart as a side dish, with Grilled Blackened Chicken, Bavette Steak (Flap Meat Steak), Pork Chops with Pork Chop Seasoning, Broccoli Salad with Bacon, Cool and Creamy Grape Salad, and Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipe with Dill.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, keep the grape tomatoes whole and bake the tart as directed in the recipe below.
Sure you can! Fresh thyme leaves, fresh parsley, or rosemary are all good options.
Layer the crust while raw and bake the tart all together. If you are concerned about the bottom baking through, you can place the fresh tomato tart on the lowest rack so the bottom of the crust is closer to the heat source.
You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days. Or you can wrap the tart dish with plastic wrap for overnight storage at room temperature.
I would suggest making this dish with homemade pie crusts. However, you can use a puff pastry sheet or a premade pie crust, rolled and cut to fit the pan. Bake according to the recipe below.
Other Great Side Dish Recipes
Tomato Tart Recipe with Basil
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 teaspoons
- 6 tablespoons butter diced
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- 2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes rinsed and dried
- 1 1/2 cups sharp provolone grated (or fontina)
- 1/2 cup basil leaves divided
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch , butter, and salt. Pulse the mixture until it forms very tiny bits. Add one egg and pulse until a dough forms. This dough is rather tough, but it does come together nicely.
- Gather the dough into a ball. Then press the dough in to the 9-inch tart pan, covering every bit. (You can roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle if you want.) Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roughly chop 1/4 cup of the basil leaves. Stack and roll the remaining basil leaves and cut them into thin ribbons. Save the ribbons for the end. Mix the cheese, mayo, chopped basil, green onions and pepper in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the tart shell.
- Top with grape tomatoes and press them down. Bake for 35 minutes, until the crust edges are golden-brown and the cheese is bubbling up.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup sliced basil ribbons. Serve warm.
I think those tarts are gorgeous, I just love the reds and the greens. If I had to pick, I think I would pick the same as your husband, the second one (only if I had to). I think the media and Hollywood are not helping women and their self-esteem. I am lucky enough that I grew up far away from that environment and know that life is not a fairy tale where everyone is perfect, rich and beautiful. I love imperfection in people :o)
I think both of your tarts look beautiful! And you know what? There ARE women out there who have never, ever worried about how they look. I'm not one of them… but my best friend is. She is inspiration for us all – even your daughter.
What a beautiful post and a beautiful tomato tart. Looks wondeful!
Just stunning – I'd love both of them – adore a savory tart and this would be grand when the tomatoes come in.
Thanks Laura! It's any parent's greatest challenge to develop children who grow up to be confident, well-rounded, and true to themselves! I think my parents accomplished this. I'm just taking it day by day!
I didn't have trouble with the dough, but I pulsed it in the food processor, instead of working it by hand as SK suggests. I wonder if that is the difference.
Ah…beautiful! I love the looks of them both – but definitely vote for the tastiest. I do think people who are not drop dead gorgeous learn to develop other qualities and are generally more truly confident and diverse in their personal qualities – but feeling beautiful is also nice and i believe can come regardless of physical characteristics. If we know we are valuable and try to focus on our positive qualities, we can exude beauty and feel beautiful as well! Your daughter is lovely, regardless, so she should have the best of both sides – especially with your influence!
Anyhow, the tart sounds gorgeous and i actually like the sound of "tomato pie." You, know, I've played with this SK tart crust recipe and had a hard time bringing it together and it ended up a bit shellac like (I am assuming because of the egg white) and tough (could've over handled it). I've been playing with it and my latest version uses two egg yolks, a bit of buttermilk to relax the gluten, and less cornstarch – not as crisp, but much more tender – does require parbaking. (I keep changing the recipe on my blog for the tart crust – hopefully people aren't logging all the changes!)
This really looks so beautiful.
Gorgeous tarts. They both look wonderful!
Beautiful tarts. Nothing beats in season tomaotes. Fantastic job!
Chees!
I've never had a tomato pie or tart before. Both the tarts look amazing! I would love to try this.
You're nuts… both tarts are gorgeous! I personally love the second one. The uniform red is so vibrant.
I have the same worries about my daughter. She is a little older than yours and the outside world is already showing its influence.
Thanks for sharing the tart recipe. The pictures look amazing.