Italian Cheesy Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust!!

With fresh, home-grown tomato season in full gear, we've been harvesting tomatoes by the bushel on a daily basis (that is my husband has done it all lately).  OK, I admit, I do over-plant!  Because you just never know how many plants will make it this far into the summer in these intensely hot last few months.

Sadly I haven't been in my beloved gardens for 3 weeks now since my back surgery . . . and I'm agonizing over it!  My husband just finished canning 21 half pints of salsa (I held the jars for him), plus we've enjoyed oodles of BLT's (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) sammies, and Caprese salad appetizers.  I even tried an Italian Rustic Pie last month (that I saved the extras to re-heat for some alfresco lunches this fall) that was very tasty.

So what's next with all of these tomatoes?

Gazpacho?  Nah, made that last summer for my mom, and although it was quite good, it's not my favorite soup and my husband won't even touch it.

Tomato Basil Bisque?  Sure, I'll make another batch of this incredible soup for those days when we need a good soup to warm the bones.

Marinara sauce?  Maybe, not sure, since we prefer Bolognese over marinara sauce.

It's not a big deal because the amount of recipes to use these gorgeous red orbs are as endless as my harvest of tomatoes.  So today I ultimately decided to create my own ooey, gooey, cheesy version of an Italian flavored tomato pie.

Instead of a store-bought pie crust, I used a 'buttermilk biscuit' pie crust.  And yes, my husband prepared the crust for me which he kindly requested that he be recognized for his contributions.  Recognition given sweetie!  The crust was perfect, light, and flaky!   All I did to amp up the crust a bit was to add a teaspoon of dried Italian seasonings.  Mmmm, it made a nice difference!

This recipe is so fabulous that it's the only tomato pie that I'll ever make again.  And that's a serious statement!

Herbed Buttermilk Biscuit Pie Crust

2 cups flour, plus more for covering the surface to roll dough and also for kneading the crust
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. dried Italian seasonings
6 Tbsp. of butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 cup buttermilk

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Italian seasonings, and sea salt.
Cut butter into the flour mixture.
With a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and small pieces of butter remain.
Pour in the buttermilk and stir until incorporated.
On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, put the ball of dough on the lightly floured surface and sprinkle with a little more flour.
The dough will be quite sticky!
Knead a few times until dough comes together and is not so sticky.
Flatten dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
Place in the refrigerator for 1 - 24 hours before rolling out.
After the dough has chilled, place the disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into an 11" circle.
Carefully pick up the dough and place in a 9 or 9-1/2" deep dish pie plate.
Trim any excess dough and blend in when folding and crimping the edges.
Place in a 350 degree oven and par bake for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.

Italian Cheese and Tomato Pie Filling

1 Tbsp. cornmeal
6 garden fresh tomatoes, sliced into 1/2" slices
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise (we prefer Miracle Whip)
1 cup sweet onion (Vidalia), chopped finely
2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, minced (or 2 extra large garlic cloves should do it)
2 tsp. dried oregano
10 - 12 leaves of garden fresh basil
1/2 tsp. Frank's hot sauce
4 strips thick-cut bacon or Italian pancetta, browned, and crumbled
1 cup grated 5 - 6 Italian cheese blend
1/2 cup Parmiggiano Regiano cheese, grated
1/2 cup grated or crumbled fresh Mozzarella di Buffalo
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Gruyere cheese
Garden-fresh basil for garnish

Place a double layer of paper towels on a cookie sheet and layer the sliced and cored tomatoes in a single layer.
Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
Place another double layer of paper towels over the tomato slices and repeat on another cookie sheet with any remaining sliced tomatoes.
Sprinkle with another 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
Cover with double layer of paper towels and let sit for 30 minutes.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP NOT TO ELIMINATE:  The salt draws the moisture out of the tomatoes and helps prevent the tomato pie from being a soggy mess (which many tomato pies are!).
Prepare and bake the buttermilk biscuit pie crust according to directions above.
Sprinkle cornmeal on top of baked buttermilk pie crust.
Mix all grated cheeses together in a bowl.
Remove 1 cup of blended cheeses and set aside for later for final topping.
Layer 1 cup of cheese blend on top of crust.
Layer half of the sliced tomatoes.
With the remaining cheeses, in a large bowl, blend cheese with mayonnaise, chopped onions, minced garlic, hot sauce, oregano and basil, and some salt and pepper.
Layer this cheese-mayo-herb mixture over the first layer of tomato slices, leaving one inch open from the edge of pie so that tomatoes can peek out.
Next place a second layer of tomato slices over the cheese-mayo-herb mixture.
Sprinkle crumbled pancetta or bacon on next.
Sprinkle the saved cheese blend on top that was set aside previously, for the third and last layer of cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until the cheeses are bubbly and golden brown!
For the last 10 minutes, I cover the edges with aluminum foil and turn the oven on broil.
Keep a very close eye on the oven when broiling so the golden brown color is achieved on the cheese, yet does not burn and turn brown/black.
Let the tomato pie set for about 15 - 20 minutes so the cheeses harden a bit; but it's also great all ooey and gooey when served hot!

Serve with garlic-butter bread.

Herb buttermilk biscuit pie crust; I like a more rustic look rather than perfect crimping of the edges

It's imperative to allow the juice to drain out of the tomatoes!

Two layers of beautiful summer colors:  ruby red tomatoes with brilliant green basil

Lots of crumbled, browned pancetta or thick-cut bacon scattered before the last layer of cheese

Three layers of cheesy goodness!

Layering on the Italian cheese love in a wonderfully thick amount

Leaving an inch from the edge without cheese allows the pretty red tomatoes to peek out to tempt the tastebuds!

 If there is any liquid still coming from the tomatoes after you cut into the pie, take a paper towel and soak it up while setting the pie pan on a slight angle so the liquid pools easily for you to soak up.

You must do this so that the biscuit crust does not get soggy.

This slice was cut one day later, so you can see how the cheese sets firmly.

Just look at that thick buttermilk biscuit pie crust  . . . and perfectly flakey from pre-baking!

Three layers of flavorful cheese with two layers of thickly cut tomatoes!
Garnish with crumbled bacon and minced basil leaves.

Jump in and enjoy!

Now that's an Italian Cheese Tomato Pie!

Mangia!

Pin It