Italian Tomato Pie is one of those dishes that’s perfect for parties or hot evenings because you can serve it hot or room temperature.
I’ll be the first to say that when I heard of Italian Tomato Pie I thought it was just a version of Southern Tomato Pie with different seasonings. Boy, was I wrong.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Southern Vs. Italian Tomato Pie
Southern Tomato Pie is a summer staple with sliced tomatoes, onions, and a cheesy mixture that melts on top baked in a pie crust.
Italian Tomato Pie combines a fluffy dough with a deep, rich tomato sauce for what is now one of my new favorite treats. Think pizza without the cheese. I know, I know. I miss the cheese too, but stick with me here, it’s actually good without it. (Though if you want to grate a bit of fresh Parmesan or Romano cheese on top, no one will stop you.)
This tomato pie is an Italian-American classic dish. It’s apparently a staple in Philadelphia as well as Utica, NY and finding great pies outside of that area can be quite hard. I’m hoping this recipe makes Philly proud.
What Kind Of Dough?
For the sake of time, I use a pre-made pizza dough from the store, but you can also make homemade pizza dough.
From what I’ve heard, the dough that most people compare it to is actually more like a focaccia texture rather than a pizza dough. It’d be light and airy without too much crust.
Serving Tomato Pie
The best part of this delicious tomato dish is that you can eat it straight from the oven, but it’s very common to let it cool to room temperature and serve that way. You can even eat it cold from the fridge if it’s hot out.
It sounds unconventional, but I am signed up for summer Italian Tomato Pie being a household thing now – hot or room temperature.
More Recipes With Italian Flavors
If you love this tomato pie recipe, try one of the following next.
Italian Tomato Pie Recipe
Italian Tomato Pie is one of those dishes that’s perfect for parties or hot evenings because you can serve it hot or room temperature.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
- 3/4 tsp. pepper, divided
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 lb. prepared pizza dough (or homemade pizza dough)
- Fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Prepare a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. In a single layer, lay out tomato slices.
- Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.
- Use hands to ensure all of the tomatoes are covered evenly.
- Roast tomatoes for 30 minutes.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, sugar, basil, oregano and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Let simmer.
- When tomatoes are done, transfer to a food processor and blend until crushed. You can also do this by hand.
- Add tomatoes to sauce and stir. Let simmer for another 15 minutes.
- On a large cookie sheet, lay out parchment paper and roll out pizza dough. With the oven still at 400°F, bake for 10 minutes.
- Top with tomato sauce and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Slice and serve with fresh basil.
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This post originally appeared in July 2019 and was revised and republished in July 2024.
Looks good can’t wait to make this!!!
I do not an oven temp for baking the crust. I can only guess it is 400 degrees also.
Yes, Evelyn, keep the oven at 400F throughout. We’ve edited the recipe so that it is clearer for others.