This is one of the recipes that people either get super excited about or they think you are completely strange for making it. If the later, get them to taste it and they’ll wonder what they were thinking about. The first time I made a crustless tomato pie was about 20 years ago. I had a small garden, but a profusion of tomatoes. After I had made tomato sauce, piccalilli and too many BLTs to count, I figured I needed to find something new to make. Most tomato pies have two crusts and seem heavy to me. When it’s Summer, I prefer the idea of “lighter” feeling food. If you agree, make this pie. Many years ago, I traded this recipe for a bunch of free grapes from an amazing winery in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I hope you enjoy it as much as that owner did.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I prefer flavored ones, Italian is my choice)
• 2-3 good size tomatoes (about 3 cups), cored and sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I prefer a red onion) – after chopping heat in the microwave on high for about 45 seconds
• 2 cups of grated cheese (Sharp cheddar or Mexican)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt and freshly ground pepper (to your taste)
• 3-5 strips of bacon (pork or turkey) – and cut 2-3 slices into bite size pieces

Instructions

• Preheat over to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9″ pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a skillet (or in the microwave on a paper towel), partially cook the bacon, drain on paper towels and set aside.
• Spread 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs evenly on the bottom of the pie pan.

  

• Arrange 1/2 of the tomato slices on top of the bread crumbs.
• Add 1/2 of the chopped onion and the bacon pieces.
• Put some freshly ground pepper and salt (if desired) over this.
• Cover with 1 cup of grated cheese.

    

• Repeat with a second layer of tomatoes, onions, and cheese.
• Pour the beaten eggs over the pie and add salt/pepper (if desired)
• Cover the top of the pie with the remaining 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs.

  

• Arrange the remaining 2 bacon strips on the top of the pie.

 

• Bake for 45 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

 

Ideas

• Don’t forget to pre-heat the onions a little. It makes a huge different in the texture and taste of them in the pie.
• This is excellent as a main meal or a side dish.
• For vegetarians, just omit the bacon, but add some additional salt.
• In my ingredient picture, you saw 3 extra large tomatoes. I only ended up using 2 of these because they were so big.