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Fact: this is not a traditional tomato pie recipe. A traditional tomato pie has a pie shell, fresh garden tomato slices, and mozzarella cheese on top. This Sicilian tomato pie is basically a deep dish pizza, with heavy sauce, and a dusting of Parmesan cheese on top of the pie. Perfect crowd-pleasing recipe for game day or parties, especially paired with a Caesar salad.
Tomato Pie Pizza
Tomato Pie!!!!!! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you guys! I adore tomato pie, and it’s one of those foods I could eat almost everyday. Growing up, any pool party, family BBQ, or game day always had one thing in common: cold tomato pie and Italian hoagies! These recipes are Summer traditions that hold a special place in my heart.
Growing up, we bought store-bought tomato pies. Bake Meister, Corropolese, De lorenzo’s tomato pies were some of our family favorites. But since moving to the Hudson Valley, I’ve been sorely missing my easy access to tomato pies. So obviously, had to make my own!
Ingredients for Tomato Pie
- Active Dry Yeast: For best results, I don’t suggest using another variety of yeast. The yeast is what activates the homemade pie crust to rise in the oven.
- Water: You’ll want it warm, but not super hot, around 110 to 115 degrees.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar works best but in a pinch use brown sugar or even honey.
- All-Purpose Flour: I don’t suggest subbing wheat flour or nut flours. A 1-for-1 gluten free flour would be your best bet.
- Salt and Pepper: Use whatever you have on hand.
- Olive Oil: It doesn’t need to be super fancy olive oil, but don’t sub it with canola or vegetable oil.
- Cheese: I love adding freshly grated Locatelli on top of the pie. But if you’re vegan, leave this off. You could also melt mozzarella cheese, a cheese mixture, or even a mild cheddar cheese or sharp cheddar on top of the pie.
- Tomatoes: You’ll use a combination fresh Roma tomatoes and store bought tomato puree and tomato paste. If you can’t find Roma tomatoes, use another plum tomato or cherry tomatoes with thin skins.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic here, do not sub garlic powder.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Adds a punch of acidity to the tomato sauce and enhances the flavors in it.
- Dried Spices: Dried basil and oregano add flavor the sauce. You can add fresh basil, fresh parsley, or even green onions on top of the pie.
How to Make Tomato Pie
- Make the Crust: You won’t need pie weights for this, but you will need a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. And a large baking sheet so you can press the crust into a single layer. The crust will need to rise until it doubles in size, this usually takes an hour.
- Second Rise: Preheat oven to 500 degrees 30 minutes before baking. Press the dough into a single layer, then poke the top of the dough for a fork, popping any large bubbles. Cover pan with plastic and let dough rest for another 30 minutes.
- Bake: You’ll start blind baking the crust, with no sauce on top. Pre baking the crust this way ensures it doesn’t get soggy. Then you”ll remove the pie from oven, top with tomato sauce, and finish baking.
- Cool: Let the pizza cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. This allows the crust and sauce to firm up a bit. Then top of with grated cheese and any fresh herbs.
You can serve this pie straight from the baking pan, on paper plates, or even on paper towels – perfect for casual parties and gatherings!
What is Italian Tomato Pie?
So, what is tomato pie you may ask? Tomato pie is basically a cold Sicilian pizza, with no cheese (except a sprinkle of grated locatelli). It has a thick, chewy, utterly delicious crust and a thick layer of sweet, tangy sauce. It’s usually served cold, but equally delicious warm or at room temperature.
It’s absolutely amazing, you guys! It wasn’t until I moved away from home that I realized tomato pie was a local gem; a hidden treasure all our own. I also didn’t realize how much I would miss it!
Trust me when I say, you need a slice! xo
Tomato Pie
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST:
- 2 packets active dry yeast
- 1 and 1/2 cups water, very warm (about 110 degrees)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Extra olive oil for greasing pan
- Grated Locatelli for sprinkling
FOR THE SAUCE
- 6 roma tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 15 ounces tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Crust:
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast with the warm water. Stir to dissolve and let stand until it looks foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, salt, and olive oil. Turn the mixer on low, and slowly add the flour to the bowl. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth, glossy, and elastic – about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place in a well oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour
- When you're ready to bake! Preheat oven to 500 degrees (F). Coat a large baking pan with olive oil. Place the dough on the baking sheet, and using your fingertips, press dough out toward edges of pan until it's a large rectangle. Using a fork or small pointed knife, poke the top of the dough, popping any large bubbles. Cover pan with plastic and let dough rest for another 30 minutes.
- Place baking sheet on your baking stone (or just the oven wrack) and lower oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pie from ove, top with tomato sauce, rotate pan, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing the tomato pie from the pan and placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling. Top with some grated cheese and serve warm or cold. I love it both ways!
For the Sauce:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Slice the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in oven for 45 minutes
- While your tomatoes are roasting, combine the rest of your ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes (or until your tomatoes are done roasting. Once your tomatoes are out of the oven, give them a quick whirl in the blender, pulsing until it’s a chunky consistency. Add roasted tomatoes to saucepan and continue to simmer until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce is very thick. Set aside until needed for pie.
Other than family, there isn’t anything I miss from home as much as tomato pie. This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do, Mike! Happy New Year 🙂
I just found your recipe and I’m so excited to try it! For the sauce.. It says 15oz tomato purée. Is that from the tomato
The tomatoes we roast then blend?
I just found this recipe! Thank you, Thank you for bringing me back home. We were transferred to the South (from Upstate NY) 18 years ago. Since then, no family or friend has been allowed to visit without bringing me TOMATO PIE from home. There wasn’t a celebration that didn’t have tomato pie and, back home, it came in huge boxes with two layers per box. You had to be quick to get your fill. There hasn’t been a single Northern transplant that I’ve asked here that has ever heard of it and, for years I’ve tried to duplicate it with no luck. Bless You. NOTE: I made the dough in my bread machine on the dough setting. Had to add more flour and yeast but, all was good.
Hi Deb. Your comment has made my day! I moved from Philly 8 years ago and I too missed tomato pie like crazy. None of my friends had even heard of it, so I knew I had to perfect the recipe asap. Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Made this a couple of nights ago and it didn’t last long. Thank you for taking the time to get it right b/c you nailed it!! I could not stop tasting the sauce when I was making it. SOOOO good. I had it both warm and cold and like both ways equally. The kids ate it and LIKED it too which always makes for a keeper. I could seriously eat this all the time. For anyone interested in the calorie/fat break-down I entered all the ingredients into caloriecount and this is what it came up with. I cut mine into 24 pieces so a serving size is one slice.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (63.0 g)
Calories 113 Calories from Fat 20
Total Fat 2.2g3%
Saturated Fat 0.3g1%
Sodium 200mg8%
Potassium 71mg2%
Total Carbohydrates 17.2g6%
Dietary Fiber 1.4g6%
Sugars 3.5g
Protein 2.2g
Vitamin A 7% • Vitamin C 9%
Calcium 0% • Iron 6%
Paula, your comment made me so happy 🙂 I worked tirelessly on this recipe last Summer so I am thrilled you and your family are enjoying it! And thank you for providing other readers with the nutritional breakdown – you rock!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING!! My husband is from Philly and he couldn’t stop eating it. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Hi Maddy! This comment totally made my day. SO happy I could help another Philly native have a little taste of home AT home 😉
I made this For
Hi! I just wanted to say YUM! I made this tonight for my husband’s birthday and it came out fabulous! He is from Hatboro-Horsham area and we love eating Tomato Pie when we are in town. It wasn’t as difficult to make as pizza either because the dough was a great consistency that was easily pliable. Thanks so much for this!
Hi Marie! What an awesome birthday dinner 🙂 You’re a sweet wife! I am very familiar with that area and worked pretty close by when I was in college; it’s a small world! Thank you for reporting back and letting me know this was a hit – it means so much to me!
I was in PA this Christmas and a guest at the party brought a tomato pizza directly from a baker in Philadelphia…I’d never had anything like it and managed to sneak 4 squares off to take home – even days later it was great after heating in the oven for a few minutes to crisp it up again – thank you so much for sharing this – I can’t wait to make my own at home!
Hi Peggy! I’m originally from Philly… best tomato pies in the world come from there! I’m sure of it 😉 I’m so glad you discovered this treat over the holidays, and let me know if you have any questions before making your own.
Hi Ashley,
I found your site doing a search for “Old Fashioned Tomato Pie” on google and am waiting for the dough to rise…just a few more minutes and I will be indulging in one of my favorite things…I can tell from your pictures of food you are really into it, me too lol…..anyway thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to get it out of the oven.
Brad
Oh Brad… that pie is one of my favorite comfort foods! I really hope you love it. Please let me know 🙂