Tomato Zucchini and Cheese Pie

If you are fortunate enough to have a vegetable garden you might soon have an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes to look forward to this summer. They are two vegetables that would dominate my garden as they are both favorites of mine. When zucchini and tomatoes are abundant my Tomato Zucchini Cheese Pie is a delicious savory pie to prepare and enjoy. It is full of flavor and can be a complete meal or a delicious side dish.   The full recipe is at the bottom of this post.

Newborn mule deer fawns -- photo taken by a neighbor

 I am not fortunate to have a vegetable garden, where I live in Colorado, as this is what I often see in my backyard.  Our state's native Mule deer have recently given birth to their offspring, and they often have twin fawns.  The deer eat quite a bit of our flowers, shrubs, and other growing plants, and what they miss eating the rabbits, squirrels, raccoons or an occasional bear will devour instead. Also, because of late spring snow, frost, and other changeable Colorado weather conditions, trying to grow vegetables is a challenge for me. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic still occurring, I try to limit my trips to the grocery store to as few as possible, and Costco has become one of my favorite places to shop.  I like to buy their bulk vegetables, especially their big box of hothouse tomatoes and their large bag of organic zucchini and summer yellow squash -- they are the perfect amounts to tide me over for a few weeks of different recipes.

When searching Pinterest for interesting new recipes to try I came upon this recipe for Cheddar Dill Tomato Pie from Taste of the South Magazine, which I pinned to my Savory Pies and Tarts Pinterest Board. 

It looked and sounded delicious in its all tomato version, but I also wanted to use some of the zucchini and yellow squash I had so I adjusted their recipe to make my own concoction.  I also omitted the dill and instead used pesto and a few other ingredients in my version.  I have to say mine came out fabulous and it is a recipe I will make again.

One tip I learned from the original recipe was that after slicing the tomatoes, zucchini and squash were to lay the slices on paper towels for an hour, after salting them on both sides, to allow the excess water in the vegetables to drain. Before using also pat the tops of the vegetables with paper towels

I also changed the creamy mixture in the pie from mayonnaise and dill to a mix of half sour cream and half mayonnaise, and instead of dill, I used a basil pesto mix.

Also, since I had quite a few vegetables to use up,  I doubled the pie crust recipe to make two pies--one of which I froze for future use.  I also changed the cheese mixture from all cheddar to a combination of grated mozzarella, parmesan, and white cheddar cheese.

I also added thin onion slices to the layers of tomato, zucchini, and squash. Each layer had the creamy mix and cheese layered between.  The last layer was finished with tomatoes but the final cheese topping was left off until the pie was almost completely baked, and added for the last 20 minutes to turn into a cheesy golden crust

My version of this savory pie was a delicious blend of summer vegetables, cheese, and fresh basil cream, and the crust had a nice crunchy, nutty flavor. Salting the vegetables meant there was no excess water in the pie plate and the pie was easy to cut and serve and kept its shape.  My husband and I enjoyed it very much and even had slices for breakfast one day.  I hope you will try it!

Tomato Zucchini and Cheese Pie


Ingredients Yields: 1 (10-Inch) Pie

CRUST:

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon plain yellow cornmeal, divided
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg, beaten
¼ cup whole buttermilk

FILLING:

one pound red tomatoes

one pound--about two medium--zucchini

one pound--about two medium-- yellow summer squash

one small onion--optional
1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons basil pesto mix, or a combination of chopped basil and garlic divided
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
one cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese

one cup grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the crust: In the work bowl of a food processor, place flour, ¼ cup cornmeal, and salt. Add cold butter, and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. With processor running, add egg and buttermilk in a slow, steady stream just until the dough comes together. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling: Line baking sheets with paper towels. Cut a ¼ -inch slice from top of each tomato. Using a small spoon, scoop out tomato seeds. Cut tomatoes into ¼ -inch-thick slices. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on prepared pans. Cut off ends of zucchini and summer squash and peel both. Slice in 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle both sides of tomatoes, zucchini, and squash with salt. Let stand for 1 hour on the paper towel-lined baking sheets. Pat dry the tops of the vegetables with paper towels before using them.

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, basil pesto mix, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375°. Sprinkle bottom of a 10-inch pie plate with the remaining 1 teaspoon cornmeal.

Let dough stand at room temperature until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to prepared pie plate, pressing into bottom and up the sides. Fold edges under, and crimp as desired.

Arrange the tomatoes, overlapping slightly, in the bottom of the prepared crust. Spread with 1⁄3 cup mayonnaise/sour cream mixture, and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat with the zucchini slices,  mayonnaise mixture, cheese, and then summer squash slices. Add thin slices of onion if desired and end with a layer of tomato slices.  Keep 1/3 cup of the grated cheese mixture reserved for the topping.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Spread top of the pie with remaining ⅓ cup cheese. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes more, covering crust with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. 

Let cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil if desired.

Enjoy!

Meanwhile, I'll let the various Colorado critters enjoy my gardens. They survived a long snowy winter and now are providing me entertainment as I stay home as much as possible during this pandemic.  I've rediscovered the joys of both my front and back yards--they are not such bad places to be!

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