Fabulous Food: Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie is not one of those foods I thought I would ever like, but my sister made it while we were at the beach this past summer and I have to say, I LOVED it.  There are a few tips that make this tomato pie absolutely delicious and combat all those fears of mushiness that kept me from wanting to try this particular dish.  Follow this recipe and you will love the results. 

Ingredients:

1 - 9" pie shell
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
3-4 tomatoes, sliced (homegrown is best, but several campari tomatoes will do off-season)
1/4 c. basil, chiffonade
2 c. grated cheese- sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack
3/4 c. Miracle Whip
salt and freshly ground pepper
bacon, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pie shell in oven and cook 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  This step is essential to keeping the pie shell from getting soggy.  
2. Let the pie crust rest until slightly cooled and then place half of the tomato slices in layers into the shell.  Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes. 
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine the onion, cheese, miracle whip and basil.  Spread half of the cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes.  
4. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes and cheese mixture.  
5. Top with crumbled bacon and place in oven.  Bake until the cheese is browned and bubbly.  Anywhere between 25 to 45 minutes.  

You can serve the tomato pie as a side dish or pair it with a salad for a light dinner.  Either way, you will LOVE it : )