été 2014: July 24th

Today's meatless meal is my personal summertime favorite. I impatiently wait every year for tomatoes to get ripe enough to slice up for this easy and simple meatless main dish. Luckily, I have an Auntie and Uncle who are avid gardeners and bless me with produce. I literally can eat this entire pie plate on my own. I almost want to hide the leftovers. It's sad, really. But it is absolutely that good and luckily it is super easy to throw together! I make this at least a few times a month.

Tomato Pie

1 deep dish frozen pie shell (I used a regular pie shell because that is what I had on hand)
4-6 peeled and sliced tomatoes dependent on size (I did not peel mine. I'm lazy. And I don't mind the skin.)
3/4 cups of mayo
2 cups of Parmesan cheese
about 15 basil leaves (I cut mine up to hide it from C-Bot)
Salt & Pepper to taste
dash of oregano
handful of shredded cheddar cheese




Peel and slice your tomatoes and let them drain on some paper towels while you get the rest of your stuff ready.

In a bowl, combine mayo, Parmesan, salt & pepper, oregano, and basil if you cut it up.

Spread a layer of mixture on bottom of pie shell and then a layer of tomatoes. Repeat the layers until your ingredients are spent. I like to throw a layer of shredded cheddar cheese on last to add more cheesiness to the party.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes for a deep dish pie shell but I cooked mine for 20 in a regular pie shell.

I recommend letting your pie rest for a bit. Cutting it immediately is a messy business. The slices don't hold up well when piping hot. But if your like me and can't wait that long, then by all means go to town immediately.

Adapted from Nest of Posies Farmer's Market Tomato Pie.

I served this with a standby side salad that I can make by memory. So this was pretty much an awesome dinner. You can find the recipe HERE and HERE. My mom used to make this for us and now I make it for my family! I make a few slight changes but it still tastes great. I use fresh pineapple and 100% pineapple juice in the dressing which I serve on the side so my lettuce doesn't get soggy and I can eat some more of it the next day. But otherwise this thing is thrown together in a snap. Oh and the dressing is addictive. Your welcome.

Pie Shell: had on hand in freezer as a pack of 2.

Tomatoes: Free! from family gardeners

Basil: Free! from family gardeners

Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Sugar: All on hand

Pineapple Juice: on hand in a pack of 6

Shredded cheddar: on hand

Mayo: $2.67 from Food Lion

Parmesan: $2.50 from Food Lion

Fresh cut pineapple: $3.99 from Food Lion

Today's Total: $9.16

Less than $10 is awesome for a family meal! Just imagine how much you would have spent at a fast food joint or restaurant. I love knowing exactly what goes into my food. I have been really trying to plan my meals around things already in my pantry. It helps me to use up what I have and to spend less money getting more and more ingredients.