Joy the Baker

Summer Tomato Pie

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Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta
There’s a spectrum to Tomato Pies.  There are the Tomato Pies that think themselves Apple Pies:  double crusted, savory but spiced, and very very wet….  

There are the Tomato Pies that should really be called Cheese Pie and the good Lord knows there’s not a thing wrong with those pies and the grace and joy they bring to the world.  

Then there’s this:  part tomato pie, part quiche, heavy on the ricotta, very fine indeed.    

We’re letting tomatoes (are you growing your own?  That’s my daydream for you), have their time to shine, bound in creamy egg and herbed cheese.  

It’s breakfast, lunch and definitely dinner. Perfect weekend vibes, so let’s!  

xo Joy

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

Here’s what you’ll need for this tomato endeavour.  Grab yourself an onion and a few big ol’ cloves of garlic.  Fresh parsley and fresh thyme.  Milk, eggs, and ricotta are our dairy.  

And tomatoes.  Lots of tomatoes.  I used about 2 pints of cherry tomatoes:  small red cherry tomatoes and bigger heirloom cherry tomatoes.  Use whatcha got and whatcha like! 

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

I happened to have a pie crust in my refrigerator from last Tuesday’s Facebook Live pie baking class.  That sounds like a humble-brag.  I just have pie on the brain.  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

I’m not going to be shy about enthusiasm for cheese.  Ricotta with a handful of fresh parsley and plenty of salt and pepper will sit nestled into the tomatoes.  If you’re thinking this is reminiscent of lasagna… you’re exactly right.  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

Whole eggs meet whole milk, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. 

If you notice, we’re salting and seasoning just about every element of our pie.  Seasoning the cheese.  Seasoning the eggs.  Lightly seasoning every element ensures that out tart is going to be balanced.  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

Onions are cooked slowly over low heat until they just begin to caramelize.  I like to leave garlic cloves whole and smashed, adding them to the onions to cook slowly.  

Big garlic bites!  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

I used a tart shell for this pie.  They tend to be slightly more shallow than a traditional pie pan, so we’ll adjust the recipe below.  

Since we’re adding so many moist elements to our pie, it’s best to pre-bake the crust.  Trust me, every lazy bone in my body  (and there are quite a few of them) rages against pre-baking the crust… but it’s important.  

To pre-bake a crust, first make sure it’s chilled in the pie or tart pan.  Line the pan with foil, and layer dried beans or pie weights on top and up the sides of the foil.  The weight will help keep the crust from rising on the bottom and sinking on the sides.  Remove the foil after about 12 minutes and bake a bit longer until the crust firms a bit.  Effort well spent, I promise. 

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

The pre-baked pie shell won’t take on a tremendous amount of color but it will stand up to all the tomatoes and cheese.

Onions and garlic are layered across the bottom of the crust.  

Tomatoes.  It’s time to add em.  

With the larger  tomatoes, I slice them in half and scoop out some of their seeds.  Pro-tip to avoid sogginess.  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

Sliced and not.  Large and small.  Add a lot.  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

Generous spoonfuls of herby ricotta are nestled into the tomatoes.  

Work them in there.  More is more.  Thank you, cheese.  

The egg mixture is poured over the tomatoes and ricotta in the pie.  I find it easiest to do this close to the heated oven, reducing the likelihood of spillage from counter to oven.  

Summer Tomato Pie with Herb Ricotta

Roasted tomatoes, baked cheese, roasted garlic bites in there too.  It’s delicious and creamy.  Super satisfying just warm or at room temperature.  Celebrating summer.  I hope it brings happiness to your heart.  

Print

Summer Tomato Pie

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 90
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Scale

For the Crust

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cold buttermilk

For the Filling

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, skin removed and cloves smashed
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • about 2 pints cherry tomatoes
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 heaping cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. To make the pie crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers (or a potato masher), work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. Create a well in the mixture and pour in the cold buttermilk. Use a fork to bring to dough together. Try to moisten all of the flour bits. Add a bit more buttermilk if necessary, but you want to mixture to be shaggy and not outwardly wet.
  2. On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture. It will be moist and shaggy. That’s perfect. Gently knead into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator will help rechill the butter and distribute the moisture.
  3. To roll out the pie crust, on a well floured surface, roll the crust 1/8 inch thick and about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer it to a tart pan. Trim the edges to be flush with the tart pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Chilling the dough will help it not sink along the sides as it prebakes.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven.
  5. Line the tart pan with foil. Add dried beans to weigh down the pie crust (or pie weights), spreading the beans up along the sides of the foil lined tart too. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow to rest while you assemble the filling.
  6. To make the filling, in a medium skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the smashed garlic and half of the fresh thyme. Cook on low heat, stirring just a few times, for 5 minutes, until the garlic is just softened. Remove from heat.
  7. Slice half of the cherry tomatoes in half. Set aside.
  8. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, remaining thyme, and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  9. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, parsley, and another good pinch of salt and pepper. Now we have all of our elements!
  10. In the pre-baked crust, layer the onions and garlic across the bottom. Add tomatoes, sliced and whole to the tart dish. Load em up! Nestle ricotta in four or five dollops across the tart. Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. I do this next part next to the oven. Carefully pour the egg mixture atop the tomatoes and ricotta and place in the oven.
  11. Bake until egg mixture is firm and not wet, about 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to a warm room temperature. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Notes

  • I made this Tomato Pie in a tart shell. If you’re using a traditional pie dish add an additional egg and an additional 3 tablespoons of whole milk.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 8

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Sue

    This looks fantastic. I am ready to give it a try but can’t find the tart pan size used of this volume of filling. I’m sure it is there. Can someone point me towards it? Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Catherine

    Made this twice in the past two weeks and it was amazing!! So delicious, thanks for the recipe! The second time I made it I added crumbled blue cheese to the ricotta mixture and it tasted divine :) :)

    Reply

  4. Kay

    Would love to make this with cauliflower crust. Do you have any recipes for a good one or tips? Thanks joy – glad you are here in Nola!

    Reply

  7. Rachel

    Was looking to make this recipe later today or tomorrow! Looks delicious! Quick question, what size tart pan did you use?

    Reply

  10. Judi

    YOU hit this one out of the park!!! Amazing, amazing crust, amazing taste…thanks for sharing, this will be a repeat for sure.

    Reply

  11. Rena

    Made this and it is really delicious! Would be great to serve at brunch or cocktail party, or for dinner with a salad.

    It took quite a bit longer than indicated to make as the dough alone needs to chill for at least 1.5hours and pre-baking the crust adds on another nearly 20 minutes to the cook time. More realistic prep time is 2hrs and cook time is 1hr. Plus time to cool to room temp before serving (we didn’t make it that long!).

    Joy- your crust recipe is the best I’ve tried in more than 20 years of baking. Buttermilk is genius!

    Reply

  13. Ramona LaChapelle

    I made this for dinner today – and it came out perfectly in a tart pan! I took the advice of other comments, and seeded my tomatoes – I was using campari tomatoes from the store, and I did not want them to make the dish too wet. Sorry, not a gardener. I was delicious, and made a perfect summer supper with a lightly dressed green salad. I was pleased that it tasted like pie, and not an omelet in a pie shell!

    Reply

  17. alyssa breed

    I make a version of this ricotta tart with caramelized onions and bacon in the wintertime — this is the absolute perfect way to summer it up!!! Can’t wait to try it!! :D

    Reply

  19. Marry

    Wow ! Cooking is my passion so i always try to cook something different. Your recipe is lil different so i would definitely try it. It is one of the tastiest and healthy dish for summer so i would recommend everyone to try it.

    Reply

  20. Jessica

    I made this with a sweet potato crust, cuz I had ZERO desire to make pie crust in this heat (no central air) and it is SO SO SO good!!! Thank you for the dinner inspiration.

    Reply

  23. Lisa Triebwasser

    Made this last night, thankful that there is one small piece left for breakfast. I used all large cherry tomatoes and my homemade ricotta which I think kept the juice factor in check.Thank you for this great recipe, it’s the first I’ve cooked from your blog and I will try more in the future. I have not made many tarts with crust in the past so I tried the French one with the melted butter from David Lebowitz’s recent posting, it was so easy. Oh, just remembered, I only had an 11 inch tart pan so I increased the pastry by 1/3 but kept all the other ingredients the same so it wasn’t as deep. It was perfect.

    Reply

  25. E

    Just tried making it this morning. Mine came out really wet, but tastes awesome. I might make it again, but try de-seeding my tomatoes first to reduce the moisture content. I might also reduce the cheese and up the egg–there seemed to be so much cheese that the egg just pooled around the outside, so the inside didn’t get that firm “set” you get from the eggs. I also did not have a tart pan, so that could be it too–more surface area would have helped with the moisture problem too. I think I definitely will give this one another shot with some tweaks–the flavor profiles really kick butt!

    Reply

    • Darla K. Reed

      Maybe you needed a hotter oven. Not all oven produce the same heat even at the same setting. Gas and electric stoves cook a bit differently. Just a suggestion. Worth a try.

      Reply

    • Nuevodiva

      I wanted to thank you for posting this! One of the many things look forward to during the summer months as soon as they may be here in New England, our wonderful summer tomatoes. And summer tomatoes mean tomato pie! Although I’ve read many recipes, I tend to go back to the most simple version, which is ultimately a fusion of those recipes and will now of course include your thoughtful one. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer goodness ;)

      Reply

  26. francetaste

    Gorgeous, and I bet it’s delicious too. I just made another kind of tomato tarte–I have to post the recipe, though it’s less “recipe” than “series of steps”–the measurements don’t really matter.

    Reply

  27. Carol

    Thanks so much for this recipe! I have made other versions of Tomato Pie, but most recipes call for sliced, large heirloom tomatoes. I am growing 25 different kinds of tomato in my garden, but right now, I am mostly harvesting Sun Gold cherry tomatoes (about a colander-full every day), and I am constantly looking for ways to use them. I made your Tomato Pie as soon as I saw the recipe, and it turned out beautifully. It looked so pretty, with the gold tomatoes and the little bright green flecks of herbs. I plan to make it again in two days for a lunch with girlfriends. Thank you!

    Reply

  28. joosbornenc

    My goal each summer is to try as many new to me tomato pie and tart recipes as I can. I usually end up making at least one of our favorites from the past as well. This one is definitely going on my list this summer. Will be trying it soon .Thanks Joy! If it’s half as good as your tomato cobbler recipe it’ll be amazing.

    Reply

    • Adrienne

      Just used my gorgeous sungolds we’ve been storing up for harvest and lemon thyme I grow beneath them. The flavors were superb!

      Reply

  29. Katherine

    Oh how I love tomato pie. Down here in Savannah, a local caterer (she is a legend and is featured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) makes one with cheddar and Dijon mustard. I can’t wait to try this version! I bet the onions make it really special. Thanks Joy!

    Reply

  32. Chrissy

    Just the prettiest! When I first moved to Chicago I had a backyard (miracle) and decided to grow my own tomatoes. After consuming all of the tomatoes, my friend’s husband said that “he wouldn’t trust anything grown in Chicago soil.” So ended my homegrown tomato dreams.

    Reply

  33. Liz

    Just gorgeous, Joy. Those dark cherry tomatoes are so sultry and captivating. I used to grow a strain like that in my garden. I think I need to re-investigate that possibility. Thanks for not being shy with the cheese. :-)

    Reply

  38. Gigi (@aWarmHello)

    This looks awesome! It seems like the perfect thing to have if people are coming over for a drink,…or like you say, for lunch or dinner. I still have a good couple weeks before I will have any tomatoes on my plants,…but there are some great cherry tomatoes in the grocery store. Looks delicious and I love how you wrote out each detail in the recipe! Thank you!

    Reply

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