Tomato Tart Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 7, 2026 
When tomatoes are at their best, I make this tomato tart recipe on repeat. With a flaky homemade crust, a creamy cheese base, and layers of fresh tomatoes, it’s one of those easy summer recipes that feels special without taking much effort. I love that I can swap the cheese depending on what’s in my fridge.
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. But, I wanted to create something a bit more elegant and show-stopping with summer tomatoes, which is where this tomato tart came in: a simple, winning combination of a cheesy herb filling, homemade crust, and juicy tomatoes! Consider it an updated version of a Southern tomato pie, but called a tart as it is the complete opposite of the winter comfort offered by other savory pies like my fan-favorite potato pie.
PS – My tamale pie is also a huge fan favorite!
Laurie – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a million cherry tomatoes to use up from my parents garden, so I decided to give this a try. My entire family was skeptical, except me….I thought it was gorgeous! My 12 year old son was already negotiating with me, but to my great surprise, every single one of us loved it. My daughter said it tasted like something from a fancy restaurant and claimed that she would get all the leftovers. Not only beautiful, but delicious!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Beautiful yet simple – Considering how good this tart looks, even I sometimes can’t believe all you need to do is mix the cheese filling, add some tomatoes, and make a simple pie crust. It’s so easy to make, even with that buttery, made-from-scratch crust. (Though I won’t judge if you use a shortcut version from the store, but like with my tomato pie recipe, I do recommend using the tart crust recipe below if you have the time!)
Change the cheese, keep the mayo – The cheese filling under the tomatoes is a luxurious, southern blend of creamy mayonnaise, cheese, and herbs I absolutely adore. I’ve developed this recipe using provolone cheese for its delicate flavor and amazing melting properties, but you can use any cheese you like that shreds easily and melts smoothly.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch – I find that using a mix creates the best flaky pie crust!
- Butter – You want this to be fridge-cold for the best flaky crust.
- Grape or cherry tomatoes – I’ve designed this recipe to work with any small tomato, kept whole, so if you have a load of summer garden tomatoes that fit this description, go ahead!
- Sharp provolone cheese – If you don’t have any, A Spicy Perspective readers have told me this tart also works really well with fontina and white cheddar!
- Fresh basil leaves – I find basil is the best herb to bring that summer flavor to this tart, but if you don’t have any you could use snipped chives. It won’t be the same, though!
- Mayonnaise – Yes, the key to my tomato tart is mixing mayonnaise with cheese. If you think that mayonnaise is mostly egg, it makes sense really.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
For the crust – First, to make the crust I preheat the oven to 375°F. In a food processor, I combine the flour, cornstarch, butter, and salt, then pulse until the mixture forms very fine crumbs, scraping down the sides a couple of times as I go. Then I add the egg and continue pulsing until a dough forms. The dough should be fairly firm, but it comes together well.
Shape the crust – I gather the dough into a ball and press it evenly into a 9-inch tart pan, making sure to cover the entire surface. (Alternatively, I can roll it out into a 12-inch circle first.) I crimp the edges, then refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.
Prep the basil – While that chills, I then roughly chop ¼ cup of the basil, stacking and rolling the remaining basil to slice into thin ribbons to use as the garnish.
Make the filling – Next, I mix the cheese, mayo, chopped basil, green onions, and pepper until smooth.
Add the filling – I then spread the mixture over the bottom of the tart shell. Make sure it’s in a nice even layer.
Assemble the tart – To assemble the tart, I arrange the grape tomatoes on top and gently press them down into the cheese mixture.
Bake and cool – Then I bake the tart for about 35 minutes, until the crust edges are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Finally, I allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the sliced basil ribbons over the top before serving slices of the tart still warm.
Recipe Variations
- Sometimes, if I want to add a little extra protein, I add 1/2 cup drained cottage cheese to the filling – it lightens up the tart but still adds a delicious creaminess!
- If you want to change up the herbs, I’ve found fresh thyme works beautifully. Parsley and chives also work well, and I think rosemary would too, but only if you finely chop it so you don’t get woody pieces in your tart.
- When I’m pressed for time but I still want to make this tart, I use a pre-made crust. One look at the comments section is enough to tell me that the ones from Whole Foods are your overwhelming favorites for this recipe! A crust from the store is also a good way of making this recipe gluten-free.
Servings Suggestions
Serving this tomato tart as a vegetarian main dish, my favorite sides are my Couscous Salad (with Pickled Vegetables), Farro Salad with Kale and Artichokes, and my Cucumber and Onion Salad (with Dill).
If I’m serving this tart as a side dish, I often pair it with my Grilled Blackened Chicken, Pork Chops with Pork Chop Seasoning, Broccoli Salad with Bacon, or my Cool and Creamy Grape Salad.
Storage Notes
Store leftovers of this tart in the in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days. Like with my Italian tomato pie, I find leftovers taste best if I’ve had time to bring them up to room temperature. Or, you can wrap the tart dish with plastic wrap for overnight storage at room temperature. But if you do this, you really should eat it the next day, and perhaps give this a miss if you’re experiencing a heatwave!
If you want to reheat slices, do this in the oven rather than the microwave, which will make the pie crust soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
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. I’ve also had success baking tarts on a pre-heated baking tray.
I do prefer this pie with a homemade crust, but I know it can be a lot of work sometimes. I have made this with store-bought, and it was still delicious. Yes, you can also use a puff pastry sheet rolled and cut to fit the pan. Still bake according to the recipe below.
This is one of the things I love the most about this recipe, it is delicious served hot, warm, or at room temperature. It’s even tasty right from the fridge, though room temp is better.
Help Me Spread the Word about this Fabulous Free Recipe! Sharing this recipe link on Pinterest and Facebook is super impactful, and I greatly appreciate it! Find the share buttons below the recipe form.
More Recipes With Tomatoes
Tomato Tart Recipe
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.
Looking forward to trying this out !
If you use cherry tomatoes instead of grap do you cut them in half or bake it longer?
Hi Kate,
No, I would still keep them whole and bake for the same amount of time. :)
Its fantastic sharing and i like it.
I had a million cherry tomatoes to use up from my parents garden, so I decided to give this a try. My entire family was skeptical, except me….I thought it was gorgeous! My 12 year old son was already negotiating with me, but to my great surprise, every single one of us loved it. My daughter said it tasted like something from a fancy restaurant and claimed that she would get all the leftovers. Not only beautiful, but delicious!
My one question….did you bake the crust before filling it or did you fill it raw?
Hi Laurie,
I’m so glad you liked it!! I fill it raw and bake it all together. Did yours not bake all the way through on the bottom? If that is the case, you might want to place it on the lower rack so the bottom of the crust is closer to the heat source.
What a great recipe! Looks like such a great snack!
I made this tart last evening. We are harvesting lots of grape tomatoes at this time This was perfect to make The recipe turned out wonderful and delicious I used Fontina cheese as I couldn’t find the sharp provolone. Can’t wait to make this for company and hear all the ahh’s Thanks for this one!
being a mother is the hardest and the most emotional job out there and it looks like you are doing a great job. Lovely tart with all those delicious tomatoes. Thank you xoxo
Thanks Beverley on both accounts! XOXO
Just made your wonderful tart and the family loved it! I used a mixture of ricotta and mozzarella. It was wonderful!
My daughter is 15 months and I am already stressing. How to be protective yet let her live her own experiences to learn and grow. This tart looks beautiful. I love the season of abundant fresh tomatoes. Eye candy is good with food but taste always wins for me. Some of my favorite recipes are not so pretty. It is a true find when they are both pretty and delicious.
Let me tell you what….it sickens me too. I have worked very hard from the time my girls were little to talk more about character, never to mention their body in a negative way. My oldest daughter went through quite an awkward chubby phase, but now she is 5’11” , slim, with an athletic build. My oldest is naturally confident, my younger daughter is not so helping her get past the superficialness of our society has been more challenging. I would say for sure, as a mom the first rule is that we be very careful how we talk about ourselves. Don’t spend too much time worrying, talking, preparing. We shouldn’t ever put ourselves down, because our kids see us as a mirror whether consciously or subconsciously….they think thats what I’m going to look like, be like when I get older. So as adults we need to strive to have a psychologically healthy view of ourselves. One friend of my daughters from early on was so obsessed with her body working out “getting abs” , well it took only a couple conversations with her mom to realize how low the moms confidence level was, and how much time and effort she put into her outer appearance, to this day it makes me sad, because this woman cannot get past her looks and see if she only worked a bit on her insides it would shine through to her outsides!! Side note on the daughter, she is also very obsessed with outer appearances, my daughter is still friends with her it has been interesting see how are different parenting has shaped these two girls. Not that I have done everything right and she wrong….just different.
I could talk about this for hours Sommer!! want to have coffee?? LOL
Heres the clincher, we send them to school and rt away there are little girls who are already making statements about looks, body types, and what kids are wearing. It doesn’t start in High School, by then kids are already pigeoned holed into groups. I thought it was hard when we were young, now all this media, has pushed it over the top!! Hang in there, you are a naturally beautiful, confident woman and that is what your girl with mirror. Don’t stop praying. pray pray pray, pray more, worry less!!
Sheila, thanks so much for sharing. I have friends that obsess over their appearance as well, and I can see how it effects their girls. I try to be aware of that, even on my insecure days. My daughter doesn’t miss anything!! And of course lots of prayer going on over here! XOXO
I love your use of whole tomatoes in this recipe. Although heirloom tomatoes are beautiful they are only tomatoes. They can be just as mealy, unripe or rotten inside as any other tomato.
I know there are parents that worry that their children will too much emphasis on these things. I think that the only children that fall into this are the children whose parents turn a blind eye to it. Children may go through phases but ultimately come full circle and end up with the values that their parents instilled upon them.
So I would say don't worry too much about it. Society's influence won't often go deeper than the influence of a parent that cares. If you are smart enough to teach your children then you should certainly have faith that your children are smart enough to learn.
Cheers!
They are both simply stunning!