Name: Crustless Tomato Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes; 4 eggs; 1 cup of milk; 1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes; 1 cup of grated cheese; 1 Tbsp olive oil; 2/3 of a red onion; Fresh basil leaves

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This juicy crustless tomato pie, essentially a crustless tomato quiche, packs a ton of flavor and protein without too many carbs. This dish is naturally gluten-free. It makes a fantastic brunch, or honestly any meal of the day.

crustless tomato pie slice served on white plate on white board background garnished with fresh basil

I’ve never been a huge fan of pie crust. For sweet pies, I do like a graham cracker crust. However, I never felt that a traditional pie crust went well with dessert.

While a traditional pie crust makes more sense with a savory pie, I prefer the filling anyway and don’t feel like it’s missing anything all that important.

If you have a round pie pan, that would look very nice. I do not own one, so I used a square baking dish. The slices aren’t quite as photogenic, but they still taste delicious!

crustless tomato pie baked with browned cheese on edges, in glass dish on white board background

Tips for a great crustless tomato pie in a hurry

The nice thing about fresh, juicy tomatoes is, well, that they are bursting with flavor and juice.

Normally, this is great.

However, additional liquid will increase your baking time. Too much could even make the end result (and especially any leftovers) a bit soggy.

For optimal texture, you can prep the tomatoes about 30 minutes before you start cooking in earnest.

Cover a plate, cutting board, or cookie sheet with a couple of paper towels, salt both sides of each tomato slice, and create a single layer of tomato slices.
After that, lay another couple of paper towels on top of the tomatoes and press out some of the liquid.

If you don’t see this tip ahead of time, it’s not the end of the world, especially if you don’t expect to have too many leftovers!

first layer with cheese, tomato slices, and fresh basil — The bottom layer of cheese, tomato slices, and fresh torn basil.

Storing and reheating crustless tomato pie

This dish is great prepped and baked ahead of time, stored in the fridge, and then microwaved throughout the week.

For a bit more crustiness, if you will, you can also place a serving in the oven for about 15 minutes or so at 350° F or until warm through and the edges get crispy.

The texture gets a little different if you freeze it, but it will do in a pinch. Still healthier than a TV dinner!

You can combat the sogginess by reheating it in the oven rather than the microwave.

crustless tomato pie top layer with tomatoes, basil, cheese, and onions in baking dish — The dish after adding two more layers of sautéed onion, cheese, tomato slices, and fresh basil.

What is the difference between a quiche and a pie?

In colloquial use, people often use them interchangeably. Generally a quiche is rather shallow, whereas a pie can be deeper. Since we are discussing crustless versions, the distinctions diminish.

Purists hold that a pie should have a crust on the top and the bottom. If there is only a bottom crust, it’s technically a tart, not a pie.

In order to properly be called a quiche, the dish should contain eggs and cream. As this tomato dish uses eggs and milk, I won’t split hairs about it. Call it what you like!

quiche filling in floral bowl with silver whisk

History of quiche

Since this dish is not dramatically different than a quiche, you may be interested to hear about the cultural appropriation of this seemingly innocent dish.

We now think of quiche as a French dish, but it actually originated in Germany (in disputed territory stretching across France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands).

The name comes from kuchen, or cake in German. The region of Lothringen, located in the medieval German kingdom of Lotharingia, produced an open pie featuring an egg, cream, and smoked bacon. (The cheese came later.)

France later annexed this area and renamed it Lorraine. This gave us the dish, quiche Lorraine. You can read a little more about the history and evolution of quiche on Medium.

tomatoes, onion, eggs, milk, cheese, salt, yogurt, basil, crushed red pepper flakes on marble table

Crustless Tomato Pie Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

Edible Ingredients

3 tomatoes
4 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup of grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 of an onion (or the whole thing if you want)
Fresh basil leaves to garnish

red onion chopped and sautéed in olive oil in copper skillet

Tools and Equipment

A knife and cutting board
A large mixing bowl and a whisk (or a spoon, you’ll just need to stir it a little more)
A dish for your pie (I used a 9″ x 9″ casserole dish)
A skillet and stirring utensil for the onion (If you don’t mind raw onion, you could skip this step and just bake the raw chopped onion in the pie/quiche to save time. I strongly prefer cooked onion so I didn’t want to take any chances.)

crustless tomato pie with quiche filling poured over it — Now, pour in your quiche filling.

crustless tomato pie ready to bake with cheese on top in casserole dish on white board background — Sprinkle with cheese and you’re ready to bake!

How to Make Crustless Tomato Pie

To begin, wash and slice your tomatoes into fairly thick slices, about 1/4″ or so. Set them on a cutting board or plate and salt them if desired (optional – I did not salt them). You can also put them on a paper towel to soak up some of the juice so your pie doesn’t turn out soggy.
Then, peel and roughly chop 2/3 of your onion.
Next, add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and cook until translucent and just starting to brown.
While the onions are cooking, grease your baking dish and preheat the oven to 375°.
After that, whisk the eggs, milk, yogurt, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
Now, begin layering your pie into the greased pan. Any order is fine. I started with a layer of cheese (about 1/4-1/3 cup), followed by tomato slices, fresh torn basil, and half of the sautéed onions. I did one more layer just like that, but put the tomato slices in the gaps left by the first layer. The final layer was just cheese, tomato, and basil.
After that, pour your egg mixture over the pie. Put the remaining 1/4 cup or so of cheese on the very top.
When the oven is ready, bake for about an hour. The edges should be browning and a toothpick or fork in the middle should come out clean. You can always let it sit in the oven after you turn off the heat if the edges are done and the middle still seems jiggly.
Finally, allow to cool and serve warm. Enjoy!

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Variations on Crustless Tomato Pie

Try adding a small can of mild green chiles for a more Southwest style dish.

Add any vegetables you have handy. Fresh spinach and sautéed zucchini would both add pleasantly to this dish.

In addition, feel free to add any fresh herbs you can find: parsley, dill, etc. would all go nicely in this tomato pie.

Try a more flavorful cheese like gruyere, white cheddar, Swiss, parmesan, or any other cheese you like. Even a small amount of feta might be interesting to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Ricotta cheese or cottage cheese would add texture and be mild enough not to overpower the flavor of your tomatoes.

If you don’t need this crustless tomato pie to be gluten-free, add a tablespoon or two of flour to your egg mixture for a fluffier pie. You could even add a pie crust for more substance.

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