We’ve reached that point in the summer when the tomato plants are heavy with produce, limbs bending down to the ground from the weight of their fruit. When a bumper crop of tomatoes hits, I find creative ways to use my garden’s bounty. We can a lot of tomatoes, fill them and bake as a nice twist on the traditional stuffed pepper and make lots and lots of salsa, pizza and spaghetti sauce.
One day I scrolled social media and saw a reel with a sweet Southern lady making her version of a garden tomato pie. Since the video made my mouth water, I decided to make my own. Adding a protein makes the dish an entrée (in my mind), and the result was the best venison tomato pie!
I used this tomato pie recipe from Tastes Better from Scratch as the inspiration for my dish. Gather the following ingredients for each pie:
First, slice the tomatoes about 1/4 inch thick. Lay them out on cutting boards and plates and lightly salt the slices. This will help draw water out of the tomatoes. Set these to the side as you move on to the pie crust. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Next, make your single pie crust or unwrap your store-bought version. I had enough tomatoes and enough people eating dinner to warrant making two pies. My crust was made from scratch; be sure to prebake the crust before adding the filling. I baked my crusts for about 15 minutes at 375°F until the edges turned golden brown.
Then while the crusts bake, mix the cheese filling. Combine the shredded cheese (I only had shredded mozzarella on hand, so I used two cups of it per pie) and mayo, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Next, chop the onion and brown the ground venison. Add the onion into the pan and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Blot the tomato slices with some paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Remove excess water but do not smush the tomatoes!
Last, clean and chop the basil leaves. Now you are ready to assemble the pies.
First, layer tomato slices in the bottom of the pie crust. Second, add a layer of the venison and onion mixture then top with sliced basil.
Repeat these layers a second time.
Top the layers with the cheese mixture and parmesan cheese. Garnish with basil leaves if you’re feelin’ fancy.
Last, turn the oven temperature down to 350°F. Bake your pie for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Slice and serve the best venison tomato pie!
Jackie Baird Richardson is an interior designer, editor at The WON and avid junker. Watch for her design tips and occasional crafting ideas, bringing the outdoors indoors. View all posts by Jackie Richardson
