A non-traditional Tomato Pie recipe with zucchini and farro is a great way to showcase summer tomatoes. The farro and zucchini provide texture, and a little gruyere is the perfect topping for this healthy dish. Great as a meal, side, or even for breakfast.
There’s nothing like a Southern tomato pie, and this one is not only marvelous but healthy.
Tomatoes are everywhere this time of year and I always end up bringing home more than I can eat from the farmers market. Taylor loves a traditional tomato pie, but sometimes I just don’t want to mess with a crust. This tomato pie recipe is a great healthy meal without mayonnaise or a crust. For a more traditional version, try a cheesy tomato pie, you won’t be disappointed.
Why you’ll love a tomato pie recipe
- This is filled with healthy and seasonally delicious ingredients that will fill you up
- Any type of tomatoes work in this recipe
- It’s simple, you don’t even need a pie crust
- It can be served hot or cold
With this version of tomato pie, you can use up those tomatoes that are just too ripe to cut into picture perfect slices, you’ll just use the best looking ones for the pretty slices on top.
The rest of the tomatoes are chopped into pieces and cooked along with zucchini and onions for a really hardy dish. I make this with farro, but rice will also work. I love the crunchy nutty flavor and texture that farro adds.
What you’ll need
- Tomatoes – select medium to large size tomatoes, any kind
- Squash – you need 1 pound of cut up squash which is about 2 medium sized yellow squash
- Farro – you can make your farro ahead of time. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Rice can be used in place of farro
- Gruyère – is a hard Swiss cheese that will melt smoothly after you grate it up over your dish
- Fresh thyme – if you can’t pick up any fresh seasoning, you can replace it with dried thyme.
- Pantry staples – eggs, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper
How do you make a Healthy tomato pie recipe
This takes about 20 minutes to prep, and about 30 minutes to bake, but you can do the prep work in advance. You can make the farro in advance since it takes about 30 minutes.
Step 1: Cook the farro per package directions. Cook the onion and then add zucchini chunks to the pan. Once it starts to get tender, but before it gets mushy, you’ll add chopped tomatoes and thyme to the mix.
Step 2: Add farro that has already been cooked in chicken broth or water. (It takes about 30 minutes to cook farro) Add the farro to the vegetable mix and combine with cheese and eggs.
Step 3: Top with some sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese and bake so that all the flavors can come together.
Pro Tip: When you prepare the farro or rice, use chicken broth instead of water to give more flavor in the final dish.
This is not runny like some tomato pies, but holds its shape when served. I love the flavor of the tomatoes that have been cooked down with the vegetables. Adding sliced tomatoes to top adds even more summer freshness to this pie. This could easily be a meal in itself.
What should you serve with tomato pie
While this tomato pie recipe is hearty enough for a meal, it’s also great as a side. Try it with some of these dinner recipes.
What is farro
Farro is a nutty flavored, nutrient packed, grain with a chewy texture. It has protein and fiber which makes it a hearty alternative to rice.
I’ll make a large batch of farro and freeze what I don’t eat to use in this dish or to just have for leftovers.
FAQ and tips
Tomato pie is not like pizza. But it is a hearty dish that you can add any seasonal ingredients you have on hand to the mixture so they don’t go to waste.
By salting your tomatoes, and letting them sit, you can reduce how watery the pie ends up when serving it.
Good news! This dish, once cooked, is delicious both warm and cold. You can refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy them the next day.
Most tomato pies don’t freeze well and are best eaten the same day, refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container. However, since this has farro in it, you can freeze it after it has cooked and it will reheat fairly well. It’s still best served the same day.
More yummy fresh TOMATO recipes!
More healthy side dishes to enjoy
Adapted from NY Times
Tomato Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes medium to large size
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 large squash about 1 lb
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 cup farro cooked; in chicken broth or water; rice can be used in place of farro
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups gruyere grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º. Spray a glass pie dish or casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Peel 2 of the tomatoes and chop fine discarding the seeds, you will want about 1 cup of diced tomatoes. Slice the remaining tomato for the top of the pie. Cut squash into ¼ inch slices and cut into quarters.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add squash and season with salt. Cook until the squash is starting to get soft but is not mushy. Add chopped tomatoes, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes until the mixture has cooked down, Stir in the cooked farro and remove from heat.
- Whisk together eggs in a large bowl and add vegetables and 1 cup of cheese. Combine and place in prepared dish. Sprinkle the top with a little cheese and place sliced tomatoes on top. Top with remaining cheese and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the top is starting to brown and the vegetable mixture is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- To save time, make the farro ahead of time. It will save in the refrigerator for several days.
- Any type of tomatoes can be used, just blot them dry.
- For more flavor use chicken broth when cooking the farro instead of water.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme, use 2 teaspoons of dried.
- You can freeze and reheat in the oven.
Nutrition
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