I really should have posted this recipe a little while back when fresh summer tomatoes were so plentiful! This is one of my favorite dishes (especially in the late summer) which I learned about from Lori and her mother … although, truth be told, I do make this even when tomatoes are less in season. Just don’t tell Lori. ;)

I mentioned recently, too, the amazing and simple pie crust my friend Lindsey makes. So we’ve had a great trade-off where she makes pie crust and I fill it with Tomato Basil Pie and our families enjoy dinner together! I wanted to share this recipe with you, too, because it is just soooooooooooo good … and a little of the beaten track. I know it is an idea I never would have come up with myself!

Tomato Basil Pie

Crust:
3 oz. of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1 cup of flour.

Let the cream cheese and the butter come to room temperature, then blend ingredients together. Roll out dough. Put in pie dish, and bake, about 10-15 minutes at 350F.

Filling:
1 ½ c. grated mozzarella cheese, divided
Fresh tomatoes. The original recipe I think called for about 7-10 roma, but I sometimes use more and/or other tomatoes, depending on how many people I’m feeding, and whether we are using Lindsey’s deep dish pie dish (in which case I also loosely double the rest of the ingredients)
1 c. loose fresh basil leaves
4 large cloves of garlic
½ c. mayonnaise
¼ c. Parmesan cheese
1/8 t. ground pepper

1. At some point earlier in the day, cut up the tomatoes into fairly thick slices and spread out on a dish cloth or paper towels to allow the tomatoes rest and drain off some of the liquid.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella into the baked pie crust.
3. Lay out the tomato slices over the mozzarella. (as shown in first photo)
4. Mince the garlic and basil, and toss together. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the tomatoes.
5. Mix together the mayo, Parmesan, remaining mozzarella, and pepper. Dollop this mixture on top of the pie, and spread around.
6. Bake about 40 minutes at 350F. I like to add one last sprig of fresh basil on top just to make it look pretty.
7. Gobble it up!

I’d have to say this is one of my family’s favorite foods. I sometimes add in a handful of grilled chicken, or serve with a salad. But that is mostly just to stretch is – honestly, all we really want is the pie itself, such a beautiful mix of fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic, meeting creamy cheesy richness. It. is. so. good.

What do you think? Sound good? It’s a recipe I never would have thought of on my own, but I loooove it. In case you can’t tell. ;) What are some of your family’s favorite dishes?