Tomato pie is a delicious and beautiful side dish that would perfectly complement brunch, lunch, or dinner. With fresh herbs and mozzarella cheese, it has an Italian flair that will dress up the rest of the meal.
Jump to:
The idea of a low carb tomato pie is born
On a trip to explore the culinary culture of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Mom and I ate brunch at the darling Lowcountry Produce Market & Café.
In the middle of the space, there were glass cases filled with beautiful pastries, quiches, and pies and the tomato pie immediately caught my eye.
A tomato pie is naturally beautiful and really does go with just about anything. I knew I had to make one as soon as I got home.
In thinking about how I wanted to make it, I thought of our Crustless Squash Pie, which has been a reader favorite since we published it in 2017.
The squash pie and this Crustless Breakfast Quiche are beloved for their bright colors, their heartiness, and their low-carb appeal. Why not make this one the same way? I knew I wanted it to be a healthy, flavorful tomato pie recipe above all else.
Is it just crustless tomato quiche?
No. While eggs do hold the whole thing together, they are not the base ingredient like they are in a quiche. Fresh tomatoes are the star here!
With herbs and mozzarella cheese the squash pie has an Italian twist, too. If you love those flavors, be sure to hop over to our Baked Tomato Slices with Parmesan and San Marzano Sauce, which is a simple sauce made with either fresh or canned San Marzano tomatoes. If you have some extra tomatoes left over, easy Summer Slaw and tasty Marinated Tomatoes make great side dishes.
(For a fun quick look at this recipe be sure to watch the web story version here.)
In spite of the Italian flavors and the low-carb flair, this is, at its very heart, a southern tomato pie. It's just been made healthier by leaving off the crust and leaving out the mayonnaise, and made a little more interesting with the addition of herbs and cheese.
To read more about how southern food is heading in a healthier direction you'll want to check this out.
The main difference between our crustless squash pie and this tomato pie is that, since tomatoes are so much more tender than squash, you're not going to cook them with the onions and garlic.
Instead, you're going to put the pie together in layers. It really is so easy and makes such an impression on the buffet table.
Best tip for a perfect tomato pie with video:
In the recipe we show you how to lay the tomato slices out flat, add salt, and let them sit a few minutes. The salt draws out the excess liquid.
Pat the slices dry with a paper towel on each slide. This ensures you end up with a perfect pie (not soggy)! Watch the video for further details.
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on an affiliate link and buy something, we may receive a very small commission. It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra. Click here for our full privacy and disclosure policy. As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Do you love watching cooking videos? Subscribe now to our YouTube Channel!
A few items you may need:
- A scalloped pie pan like ours
- A mini chopper for the garlic
Southern Food Then and Now is all about the history, origins and future of southern food. You'll want to read that next!
📖 Recipe
Easy Crustless Tomato Pie
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes sliced
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
- 6-7 leaves basil chopped
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, plus extra for sprinkling over top
- 2 eggs beaten
Instructions
- Slice tomatoes and lay sliced on plates. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit at least 10-20 minutes, and up to 30 minutes.
- Melt butter in small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute' until onions are soft (about 8 minutes). Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add cheese, eggs, herbs, and pepper to bowl. Stir to combine.
- Drain water off of plates with tomatoes, With a paper towel, Gently blot tomatoes to soak up excess moisture.
- Arrange tomatoes in a single layer on a greased pie pan. Top with about ¼ cup of the cheese mixture. Repeat until all ingredients have been used, finishing with a layer of tomatoes. Top this layer with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
- Allow to sit 5-7 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you're into low carb, Keto friendly sides, you'll want to check out this Broccoli Casserole and Keto Squash Casserole. They check all the boxes.
If you love all things Mexican-inspired (like we do) but you're watching carb intake be sure to add this recipe to your list to make soon: Low Carb Enchiladas are so delicious they'll never guess they're so healthy.
Here are some more of our favorite recipes:
Christine Roppel says
Hi! I can't wait to try this, but have a quick question: About how thin should I cut the tomatoes?
Thank You!
Pam says
Just a typical tomato slice,Christine. Maybe 1/3 inch or so.
DIANN L MCBEE says
I made this with a few tweaks. I am thinking this is so adaptable as long as you have tomatoes -- add what you have on hand!
- Used two small tomatoes, sliced, and added sliced zucchini -- both salted and drained on a baking cooling rack (with cookie sheet underneath for drips.
- Used olive oil instead of butter to saute' onion and garlic.
- Added Italian seasoning to egg mixture.
- After blotting veggies, layered them in circles in my tart pan, threw in some chopped, fresh spinach, then poured egg mixture over it all.
- Sprinkled Parmesan cheese over the top!
My husband and I ate the whole thing for supper. Making it again tonight with yellow squash instead of zucchini. Maybe add some shredded carrots.
Thank you for giving me a tomato pie recipe that does not get watery.
PS I tried to give it a five-star rating, but website would not cooperate.
Thia says
Thanks for the idea of adding spinich!
Pam says
Thanks, Diann! We are huge believers in using what you have on hand too!
Barbara says
I really hate when people think their “tweeked” version is better.
Terri says
Barbara, I agree and wish more would actually try and then comment
Thia says
Looks Sooooo delicious! Will be a great way to use up my garden's bounty 😊 One question: Does it freeze well? Have enough tomatoes to make extra, but I wouldn't want them turning to mush when thawed!
Thanks for the recipe.
Thia says
Looks Delicious! One question: does it freeze well? Have enough Garden Bounty to make several, but not if they'd turn to mush when thawed!
Thanks for the recipe 😃
Pam says
Thia, I'm sorry, but we haven't tried freezing it. If you do please come back and let us know how it turns out.
Sue says
Pam, thawed tomato pie gives me the vision of a watery, mooshie mess. LOL
Susan says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I didn't have fresh herbs, so I used dried. I didn't have mozzarella, so used gruyere. Even with those substitutions, it was great. I had some juice in the bottom from the tomatoes. Have any ideas to help? I'll definitely make this again.
Pam says
Glad you liked it, Susan! Did you salt your tomato slices and let them sit before assembling? We drain off the fluid that comes out and pat them with paper towels.
Janie says
Excellent dish! So glad I tried this recipe, will DEFINITELY be making again!
Pam says
Thanks, Janie! We're so glad you liked it.
shila says
I just test it and it is so gooooooooooood 😀 yumyyyyyyy
Thanks a lot
Pam says
thank you! So happy you loved it.
Candace says
I made this last night and we loved it. One thing - you don't say what to do with the onion/garlic mixture when it comes time to assemble it all. I just sprinkled it between each layer. I might add an extra egg next time and also allow it to sit a good 15-20 minutes after baking. It was pretty sloppy coming out of the pan because I didn't allow it to sit long enough. Can't wait to make this again - we're calling our tomato crop - tomatogeddon LOL!
Pam says
Hi Candace, Yes if you read back through the instructions you'll see that the onion/garlic mixture gets mixed with the egg and cheese mixture. To make sure you don't get excess moisture from the pie be sure to salt and let the tomatoes sit and then drain off the liquid and pat them dry. Congratulations on your tomato crop!
Margi says
Easy recipe! I used my San Marzanos from our garden. I figured 2 lbs of tomatoes plus a bit more considering waste. Turned out great! I also double blotted the tomatoes for extra insurance. Left them on the sink between paper towels for about an hour before assembling. No seepage!
Karah says
This was delicious! I made it for my parents and myself. I'm trying to get them into the low carb life style and this recipe was a hit!
Pam says
Awesome! So glad we could help.
Tami K McIntosh says
This is really good! Very versatile and easily made to your own liking. I have used some different cheese in addition and also added green pepper, thyme and bacon or just cook the bacon and put the slices on top. It keeps and warms really well. Thanks for sharing.
Pam says
Thanks so much, Tami!
Martha Murphy says
My whole family loved this! I substituted dried herbs according to Google conversion. And added some leftover chopped up ham. Delicious!
Pam says
Ham sounds like a good addition. Thanks, Martha.
Alicia Jones says
I made this tonite for the first time! We loved it! We used tomatoes from our garden. Our last from the season.
Cynthia says
Can you make this the day before and refrigerate and bake it next day?
Pam says
We have never tried that, Cynthia. If I wanted to make it ahead, I would be more likely to go ahead and bake it and then just warm in up at serving time.
Robin says
I'm in Beaufort,,getting ready to make this
Pam says
Yay! We love your town!