meatless monday: tomato pie

good morning everyone, it’s monday! why do i seem so excited (school starts tomorrow)? if you are new here, that means meatless monday! it’s the one day a week i don’t eat meat. of course, it’s a holiday, which means…bbq’s. how hard is it going to be staying away from all those hamburgers and hotdogs sizzlin’ on the grill? i wish i could tell you it would be hard for me, but we just picked up some sweet garden peppers that we are stuffing with eggplant, rice, fresh herbs, onions and lots of garlic. oh, and of course, fresh homemade tomato sauce on top.

now, let’s talk veg. we have way to many tomatoes here. everyday, even though we are nearing the end of our season, there seems to be more…and then some more:-) i have a huge basket on my counter filled to the brim. last week, well, there were just to many cherry tomatoes, and then i came across an article about tomato pie’s and tarts (there was even a dessert!) and how at this point in the season your tomato should be the star. the whole pie is based around the tomato. every wonderful bite is juicy and just tastes like summer. sweet from the tomatoes but at the same time light but also rich from the cheese mixture.

during irene we made ravioli using wonton wrappers. it was a huge hit here but i had left over cheese mixture (almost half). i stuck it in a ziplock bag and threw it in the fridge. when monday came around all i kept seeing was tomatoes so i grabbed a pre-made pie crust out of the freezer, the baggie of cheese and of course my huge basket of tomatoes sitting on my counter.

tomato pie

the measurements from what was left in the baggie (i halved the original recipe i used for the ravioli):

8oz ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parm
1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
about a tbl of fresh chopped basil
about a tbl of fresh chopped parsley
pinch of salt and pepper

what you need for the pie:

2 eggs beaten
2 smallish tomatoes sliced for the bottom of the pie (i used zebra tomatoes which are green)
the raviloi mixture above
about 10 cherry tomatoes halved
pie crust (i use store bought)

follow directions on your pie crust to thaw. i do not pre-cook mine, i leave it raw and throw everything in. i usually let it thaw for about 5 minutes.
in abowl mix the ricotta mixture with eggs.
line the bottom of the crust with sliced tomatoes. pour mixture over and spread evenly with a spatula.
place split cherry tomatoes on top.
cook at 350 for 60 minutes. cool and serve.

this would be nice if you are entertaining in the early afternoon. there is no reason not to add it to the table even if you are serving meat (unless you’re kosher of course). there is always a vegetarian on hand who will be thankful.

if you are looking to bbq tonight and want to keep it veg, how about some grilled portabella’s marinated in olive oil. add a little salt and pepper, yummy on a roll with melted cheese:-)

have a great holiday! catch you all tomorrow where there might be meat