Southern Tomato Pie

This week’s #FlashbackFriday is one recipe I cannot wait to make with all  our summer tomatoes. Hey all ~ how are ya’all doin’?  Now that Summer has officially arrived here in sunny California, I decided it was time to whip up this delicious Southern Tomato Pie that is packed with creamy cheeses, sweet tomatoes and basil with the pop of fresh herbs and a melt in your mouth buttery crust.  This recipe is my spin on the Weight Watchers 5 ingredient 15 minute Tomato Pie.  To keep the cheese melting and to lighten this Southern Classic up a bit, I’ve mixed both fat free and low-fat cheeses leaving the full fat flavor in the crust where it really counts.

This is perfect for a light summer dinner served up with a crisp green salad.  I think it would be totally fun for brunch or to bring to a picnic this summer.  Or maybe, just do all the above because once you make it, you will be craving it until you make it again….don’t say I didn’t warn you!

WEIGHT WATCHERS SOUTHERN TOMATO PIE (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lbs firm tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1/2 cup basil, roughly chopped
• 1 8 oz frozen pie crust (I used Mrs. Smith’s)
• 4 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded combined with 4 oz. fat free mozzarella
• 1/4 cup reduced fat garlic and herb cheese spread (I used Alouette Light)
• 2 Tbsp. Best Foods Reduced Fat Mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• sea salt & black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place a pizza stone or a cookie sheet in the oven then preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Slice tomatoes and remove seeds.  Place slices on several paper towels. Top with more paper towels and press firmly to remove as much moisture as possible.  Repeat with more paper towels if needed.
3. Sprinkle half the mozzarella on the bottom of the pie crust. Top with a layer of tomatoes, sprinkle with a little basil, sea salt and black pepper.  Repeat 2 more times creating 3 layers of tomatoes.
4. Combine the remaining mozzarella with the mayonnaise and spreadable cheese.  Spread over the top of the tomatoes evenly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. Place in the oven on the pizza stone/cookie sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden.  Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.  Slice into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Makes 6 slices, 8 Weight Watchers SmartPoints each

Nutritional information per slice (including the tomatoes/basil) calculated at caloriecount.com

I have to confess I was too excited to make this recipe and a little nervous since I’ve never made a Tomato Pie that I didn’t take step by step photos this go round.  Here are a few highlights and what I think made this recipe taste completely decadent.

Delicious organic tomatoes ~ I can’t wait to use tomatoes from our garden although these farmer’s market tomatoes worked perfectly.  I did pick the basil from our herb garden so I am half way there.  Don’t be afraid to get them firm as you do not want them soft as they will be too juicy and you need to be able to press out the liquid without demolishing the tomatoes.

You could make your own pie crust or you could take a short cut like I did and bought a 2 pack of Mrs. Smith’s. You only need one crust for this recipe.

This Alouette Cheese is seriously amazing.  I can totally see eating this with crackers or fresh cut veggies.  If you can’t find it, you could use Laughing Cow or reduced fat cream cheese.  Just make sure you get an herbed or garlic flavor as this is what flavors your tomatoes as it melts over the pie as it cooks.

To keep things simple, I served this up with a simple salad tossed with this new Trader Joe’s Honey Thyme Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I liked the dressing but did end up adding red wine vinegar for more of a tangy bite.

Did I mention, I cannot wait to make this again?!

Have you ever made Tomato Pie? If so, how do you make yours?