Tomato Pie

The perfect summer side dish: juicy tomatoes, sliced onions, fresh basil, with a cheesy topping baked in a gluten-free oat pie crust

Disclosure: By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by National Dairy Council and the Quaker Oats Center of Excellence and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

It happened! Tomato Pie Success!

I'm so incredibly excited!

If you've been reading this week, you'll know that I've been having quite the recipe developing difficulties.

But it finally worked... I made a healthier Tomato Pie!

Oh... you don't know about Tomato Pie?

Bless your heart, you are in for a real treat.

Tomato pie is side dish made with a flaky pie crust filled with juicy tomatoes, sliced onions, fresh basil, and topped with a cheesy mixture. Then it's baked to perfection and served at any meal that needs a side dish {both casual and fancy}.

My grandmother, Nan, makes a delicious tomato pie, so I based my recipe off hers.

Unfortunately, hers is super unhealthy. Think pie crust, mayo, and tons of cheese. Let's just say it's not the healthiest side dish present at your summer table.

I decided that there had to be a better way and recreated it using my favorite mayonnaise replacement - cottage cheese.

Since the crust is a big factor in the making-this-really-unhealthy-recipe department, I knew I would need to change it from the standard, trans-fat filled store-bought pie crust.

Pie crust is one of those daunting tasks that is unfortunately not that easy to make and the store bought alternative is quite terrible.

However, making an oat crust by blending together oats, a few tablespoons of butter {you want that delicious buttery-flaky taste in your pie crust}, cold water, and some spices is the perfect solution.

After concocting a recipe I thought would be reminiscent of Nan's, I went to work in the kitchen.

It's not that tomato pie is labor intensive, but it is time consuming to make a tomato pie and record every single detail.

And then what happened next brought tears to my eyes... For real. I'm dramatic.

Basically, it was a mess of watery crust and juicy cheese. The good flavor was there but the desired consistency/look was not.

It took me a day away from my kitchen to try again, but giving myself 24 hours to dissect every angle of what went wrong in my first try was the right thing to do.

Seriously, what more can you ask for than to have a comfort food favorite turn into something healthy that still tastes good?!

I'm over the moon in love with my tomato pie.

It's 100% whole grain, thanks to the oats. Oats {no matter what type - quick, old fashioned, or steel cut} are completely whole grain and are full of fiber.

This tomato pie has over 6 cups of vegetables packed into one 9 inch pie.

The cottage cheese and cheddar bump up the protein content and give you a dose of calcium, riboflavin, and B12.

Like yesterday's crepes, my mistakes benefit you {and me in the future} because I can tell you exactly what and what not to do to have this turn out beautifully...

The most important thing you want to do is to drain your tomatoes. I didn't drain them enough the first time and that resulted in disaster.

You'll start the recipe by seasoning the tomatoes & onions and adding salt. The salt helps the tomatoes release their juices. Then you'll drain. Drain in a colander and then use some paper towels to really blot. Don't be stingy with the paper towels here; it's not the time. Really get those tomatoes dry.

While your tomatoes are marinating, you make the crust. It's super easy and done in a flash using a food processor. You make oat flour by blending the oats for a few seconds and then pulse in the butter and some water.

Bake the crust and right when it comes out of the oven, cover the crust in some cheese. This helps give extra cheesy wonderful goodness, and it helps seal the crust as a precautionary measure to guard against sogginess.

Meanwhile, you'll just pop the cottage cheese in the food processor; give a quick blend; and you're done.

Once the tomatoes are nice and dry, you'll put them in the crust. Spread the cheese over the tomatoes and pop in the oven.

Bake until the cheese is bubbly. And then take it out of the oven.

Ok so right about this time, you might be freaking out because you're worried about a soggy mess. This is when you need to practice patience {realize that I am talking to myself here}, and let the tomato pie rest. Give it about 10-15 minutes. It'll be too hot to eat at this point anyway.

This is a good time to set up your food photo shoot set the table and round everyone up to eat.

And then when it's time, cut into your pie and enjoy your cheesy, tomato-y, wonderful pie that with make you ever so happy and wonder how you lived without this recipe for so long 🙂

This is a great make ahead side dish because you can pre bake the crust and marinate the tomatoes overnight.

Tomato Pie

The perfect summer side dish: juicy tomatoes, sliced onions, fresh basil, with a cheesy topping baked in a gluten-free oat pie crust

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Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 10

Author: Meme

Ingredients

Tomato Filling:

• ▢ 4 cups tomatoes {2 large sliced or 2 pints cherry/grape tomatoes halved}
• ▢ 1 ½ cups thinly sliced vidalia onions {from about 1 medium}
• ▢ 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 5 basil leaves

Oat Crust:

• ▢ 1 ⅓ cups oat
• ▢ 2 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 4 tablespoon cold water
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the topping:

• ▢ 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 6 oz . reduced fat cheese 1 ½ cup, freshly shredded

Instructions

Make the filling:

• Stir together all the ingredients for the tomato filling. Cover and set aside for at least one hour.
• When ready to make the crust, drain the tomatoes and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to dry completely. {Should take about 10 minutes}

Make the crust:

• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or springform pan. Set aside.
• Put the oats in a food processor. Blend for about 15-20 seconds until it turns to a flour-like consistency.
• Pulse in butter and water until it forms a crust-like dough {holds together but is slightly crumbly}.
• Press dough into the prepared pan into an even layer, making sure to push a little up the edges to make a crust.
• Prick the crust with a fork and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with ¾ cup cheese.
• Once the tomatoes {onions and basil} are well-drained, add them to the pie crust. Cover them with the cottage cheese & cheese mixture.
• Put in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Let sit for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing into pie and serving. Enjoy!

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

Side note: While I think of tomato pie as a side dish, honestly, I've been eating it {since I have so much of it haha} as a light lunch. Served with a side salad, it's the perfect vegetarian meal.