TOMATO PIE - TWEAKED TO MY LIKING

Recently I have come across quite a few recipes for tomato pie. We had a late crop of tomatoes which we didn't think were going to produce. Much to our surprise they did, so it was time to try tomato pie with some of our fresh tomatoes.

Being the review junkie that I am, I reviewed quite a few recipes before deciding to try it. I took ingredients, hints, and user reviews/ratings from recipes here and there to come up with a version I thought we would enjoy.

I was not disappointed. It was delicious, and I will definitely be making this again.

I'm posting the recipe so that next year when we have fresh tomatoes I won't forget how I made it. :)

TOMATO PIE

• 9-inch deep dish pie shell - pre-baked (Thaw pie shell and prick bottom with fork to avoid bubbling. Pre-bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.)
• 4-5 medium tomatoes
• 1 small Vidalia onion
• 8-10 pieces of bacon (in our opinion you can never have too much bacon)
• Fresh basil (4-5 leaves)
• Salt & pepper
• ½ c. mayo*
• ½ c. sour cream
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp)
• ½ c. shredded Parmesan cheese**

Peel and dice tomatoes. {I sliced mine this go-around, but next time I will chop or dice – same with onion.} Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain. I let mine drain for a couple of hours but obviously it doesn't have to be that long.

Fry bacon, half it, and set aside. Reduce heat, add onions to bacon grease, and cook until tender.

Chop basil. {I chopped mine really small. Obviously you can use more or less according to your own taste, but I was afraid more would be too much. 4-5 leaves was the perfect amount for us}.

Lightly brush bottom of pie shell with olive oil (supposedly this helps avoid soggy crust - it must work because the crust was not soggy).

Layer tomatoes, onions and basil in pie shell.

Season with salt and pepper (Some recipes called for Italian seasoning as well. I didn't have any but probably would have used it if I did).

Sprinkle with one-half crumbled bacon.

Combine grated cheeses, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Spread mixture on top.

Sprinkle remainder of bacon on top and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

*Most recipes I saw called for a whole cup of mayonnaise. I like mayo but I don't love it, so I was afraid a cup would be too strong of a mayonnaise taste. So if you like mayo, you could use a whole cup. Or if you dislike it, I'm sure just sour cream would work too.

**Next time I may try mixing it up with some different types of cheese and add some jalapenos to give it a little kick. 

Sorry, there are no pictures because I couldn't wait to dig in. :)