Tomato Pie
by Sommer Collier — on Jul 2, 2025 This savory, cheesy and delicious southern tomato pie recipe is easy to make with a simple homemade pie dough, shredded cheese, and slices of heavenly ripe tomatoes. Old-fashioned tomato slab pie is layered and baked right on a baking sheet, and is perfect to feed a crowd at any occasion!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
This is a savory Southern tomato pie that our family absolutely loves! We make it every summer with fresh garden tomatoes… However, it’s so good that we end up making it throughout the year whenever we crave a taste of summertime!
Although we have incredible Tomato Galette and fresh Tomato Tart recipes on the site as well, the deep flavors and cheesiness of a southern tomato slab pie are the most comforting of all!
Why You’ll Love Southern Tomato Pie
- Amazing summer flavor – This southern dish is brimming with juicy ripe tomatoes, a rich and creamy mayo and cheese mixture, and topped with more cheesy goodness. *Drool*
- Easy and fun to make – Homemade pie crust is surprisingly easy to make with my foolproof steps! Then there’s just some mixing and layering before you pop it in the oven to bake for only 30 minutes.
- Feeds a crowd – Tomato slab pie is perfect for slicing and sharing with guests! Our recipe makes 12 large or 24 small pieces.
This family-favorite tomato pie recipe is sure to bring BIG flavors and just the right amount of southern flair to all your seasonal potlucks, picnics, and casual dinner parties!
Ingredients and Tips
- Pie dough – Don’t be intimidated… Homemade pie dough is ridiculously easy to make! You only need all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, butter, and milk (both super cold!).
- Filling – The rich, cheesy filling is made with a surprisingly simple combo of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and scallions (green onions).
- Tomatoes – We’re using a single layer of beautifully ripe summer tomatoes on the vine. Other tomatoes, like heirloom, beefsteak, or Roma, will also work well!
- Basil – Finish the pie with chopped fresh basil for a lovely punch of freshness.
Recipe Variations
- Store-bought crust – In a pinch, you can swap 2 refrigerated roll-out pie crusts for the dough. Overlap them on the baking pan, cut off the round edges, pleat the trimmings in the corners, and roll them together. Done!
- Mayo – Use light mayonnaise for fewer calories, if you like.
- Fresh herbs – Change up the flavors and replace basil with fresh dill.
- Cheeses – I use a combination of shredded cheddar cheese and a three-cheese Mexican blend. Feel free to use all of one or the other, or mix things up with shredded mozzarella cheese, fontina, parmesan cheese, gouda, an Italian blend, or swiss cheese.
Protein Pointer – For extra protein, add 1 ½ cups of well-drained cottage cheese to the mayo mixture.
How to Make Tomato Pie
Tip for Success – The homemade dough needs to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, so plan accordingly. Or make it several hours or even up to a day in advance, so it’s ready to go whenever you are!
Find the full Southern Tomato Pie recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Similar to pizza, southern tomato pie is best enjoyed fresh from the oven. That being said, leftovers are indeed also marvelous! Store them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezing – I don’t recommend freezing tomato slab pie. While you technically can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months, the tomatoes will lose their lovely texture when frozen and reheated.
- Reheating – Bake leftover slices in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or – and this is by far my favorite method – you can reheat leftover tomato pie in the air fryer.
Serving Suggestions
Tomato slab pie is fabulous for a casual, southern-style summer dinner. Serve warm sections alongside cold and creamy cucumber salad or non-creamy cucumber onion salad with dill, chilled broccoli salad with bacon, or marinated vegetable salad.
Or keep things cozy and pair with hot dishes like spicy collard greens, air fryer asparagus, or crispy air fryer okra.
It’s also a delicious and unique savory brunch dish to serve with over easy or fluffy scrambled eggs. The pie is particularly scrumptious paired with a tomato-based, spicy, or classic Bloody Mary beverage!
Tomato Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes (2 sticks)
- 6-8 tablespoons cold milk
For the Filling:
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup scallions, chopped
- 1/2 cup sliced basil ribbons (julienne)
- 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
Instructions
- Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Then add the cold butter cubes and pulse into a fine pebble mixture. Add 6 tablespoons cold milk and pulse until the dough comes together into a smooth ball. If needed, add 1-2 more tablespoons milk. Press the dough into a flat rectangle and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and move an oven rack to the low position. In a bowl, mix the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and scallions. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch rounds and lay the slices on paper towels to drain off excess juices.
- Roll the chilled dough out on a piece of wax paper, into a 12 X 17-inch rectangle. Flip the dough over onto a 10 X 15-inch jelly roll pan. Remove the wax paper. Turn the edges of the dough under and crimp with a fork against the rim of the baking sheet.
- Spread the cheese-mayo mixture over the surface of the crust. Lay tomato slices over the mixture. Cut some tomato slice in half to fill in empty sections along the sides. Sprinkle the basil ribbons over the tomatoes. Then cover the surface of the pie withShreeded Mexican cheese blend.
- Bake on the low rack for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve warm.
Notes
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- Storing Leftovers – Similar to pizza, southern tomato pie is best enjoyed fresh from the oven. That being said, leftovers are indeed also marvelous! Store them in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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- Freezing – I don’t recommend freezing tomato slab pie. While you technically can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months, the tomatoes will lose their lovely texture when frozen and reheated.
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- Reheating – Bake leftovers slices in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees, or – and this is by far my favorite method – you can reheat leftover tomato pie in the air fryer.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Pizza pies are made with a dough base covered in tomato sauce and a layer of cheese. This tomato pie recipe, on the other hand, features a creamy mayonnaise and cheese base on top of the dough, and is then topped with slices of tomato and additional cheese.
If the mayo and cheese filling mixture isn’t thick enough or spread evenly, there’s a chance the moisture from the tomatoes will seep into the dough as it bakes. We also recommend baking the slab pie on the bottom rack, which helps the crust bake more slowly and evenly, and can help prevent the dreaded soggy bottom.
Perfect balance of savory and fresh! My whole family loved it – even the kids asked for seconds. Definitely adding it to my regular rotation.
Hands-down the best tomato pie I’ve ever had. It’s rich and cheesy but still light enough for a summer meal. I’ll be making this on repeat!
This tomato pie was absolutely delicious! The crust held up perfectly, and the flavor from the fresh tomatoes and herbs was out of this world.