If not, you are really really REALLY missing out. A southern dish popular in the Carolinas, tomato pie is a great way to use up surplus tomatoes from the garden and make a delicious, warming, rich meal that is great for lunch or dinner paired with a side salad. The tomatoes are piled high in a pie crust and mixed with herbs and sometimes other things, and topped with a mixture of cheese and mayo that melts as it bakes and seeps into the the tomatoes. Yummmmmm.
Have I convinced you yet? Just you wait. You can make this amazing pie in miniature forms using a muffin pan! And… wait for it… you can individually freeze them to make for super quick and easy microwaveable lunches or snacks during a busy work week, when all you crave is comfort food but you don’t think you have the time to make a proper warm meal. They also make an awesome (and impressive) appetizer for a party! I try to have mayo in moderation. But I LOVE it, so I don’t want to give it up all together. (Guys, life is too short to not eat what you love. Which is why Zach and I try and stay away from processed foods 95% of the time, so for the other 5% we can have things like mayo and Reeses peanut butter cups. No, not together.) And since these pies are so cute and tiny, it’s easy to enjoy them in small portions, hence limiting your mayo intake! (I’ve also heard that you can sub the mayo for sour cream in a tomato pie, but have not tried it. If you try this, let me know how it comes out!)
These have been a lifesaver for me this week at work. Zach and I work as teachers from 7:30-5. It’s a long, strenuous, active day, and by the end I’m usually blind with hunger. (And pretty grumpy from said hunger. And angry. Hangry.) So, I decided that I needed to pack a hearty afternoon snack to help combat the hanger. These tomato pies were the perfect hearty snack for the past two afternoons and guess what? I exercised both evenings AND no more hanger. Hooray!
Freezer Directions: Once the pies are cooked and cooled, just place them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 20 minutes. Wrap each in saran wrap and keep in a container in the freezer. When you want to eat one, unwrap and microwave on high for one minute if frozen, 30 seconds if thawed. Hope you enjoy! :-)
