This Tomato Pie Casserole is a family favorite – perfect for all those holiday gatherings! It’s a copycat recipe from Mary Mac’s Tea Room, a 75+ year institution in Atlanta, GA. This Southern casserole is layered with tomatoes, onions, crunchy crackers and a creamy cheese mixture!
What You Will ❤️ About Tomato Pie Casserole
- No Tricky Pie Crust – This is a “pie” with no pie shell – well the crust is on top! Trust me – you’ll love it!
- Southern Tomato Pie – This recipe came to me from Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta GA. It’s an institution that’s been around for over 75 years!
- Flavor Punch! I love the flavor melding in this casserole – the sharp cheddar, the smoky tomatoes, crunch crackers – it’s all so good!
Tomato Pie Recipe Ingredients
This recipe uses simple, delicious ingredients – each one packs a punch of flavor! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Sweet Onion – Yellow or Vidalia onions are best here
- Ritz Crackers – you’ll need 2.5 sleeves of butter crackers
- Diced fire-roasted tomatoes – I did not drain the excess juices from these tomatoes but they weren’t real juicy to begin with. You don’t want them watery – but a little juice is fine.
- Mayonnaise – I always use Duke’s
- Grated cheddar cheese – I like the contrast of the sharp cheddar against the tomatoes but feel free to use mozzarella if you prefer
- Grated Parmesan cheese – I like to grate my own but you can use the “sprinkle cheese” if you like
- Basil
- Salt and pepper – I recommend adding to the onion mixture
- OPTIONAL: Minced garlic would be great as well
How To Make Tomato Pie Casserole
Mary Mac’s has been around for more than 75 years and I think they know what they’re doing – this is hands-down the best tomato pie recipe you’ll find!
- Preheat oven to 350º – spray a 1.5-2 qt casserole dish (8×8 square or 5×7 rectangle) with non-stick spray
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
- Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and carmelized, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste (maybe 1/4 tsp of each), stir and remove from heat.
- Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers in the bottom of the casserole dish (I prefer to crush by hand – I like the varied sizes of the pieces vs. pulverizing them with a food processor)
- Pour 1 can of tomatoes over the crackers
- Spread 1/2 of the sautéed onions over the tomatoes
- Repeat the tomato/onion layers with the other can of tomatoes and remaining sauteed onions
- Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top of the tomato/onion layer
- In a bowl, mix together mayo, cheddar, Parmesan and basil
- Spread cheese mixture on top of the cracker crumbs. You have to put it on in spoonfuls and then spread lightly with a knife otherwise it just sticks to your cracker crumbs. I laid the mayo mixture on a spot and then lightly spread it and repeated until I covered the crackers.
- Crush remaining 1/2 sleeve of Ritz over top of the mayo mixture
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350º
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves.
This post contains affiliate links which I make a little money on purchases. Thanks in advance! I am an Amazon associate as well as a member of other affiliate programs.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) in the refrigerator for up to a week. Scrape off crackers and add new fresh crackers. Reheat in the oven at 350º for 15 minutes or in the air fryer for 5 minutes.
This tomato pie is easy to make but there’s not much of a need to make it ahead of time. You can saute the onions ahead of time and store in the fridge until time to make the layered casserole. I don’t like to make it ahead of time because the crackers get soggy.
Sure – if you’re making this in the summer – go for it! Slice tomatoes (fresh garden tomatoes or even heirloom tomatoes) and layer them up! But in the off season – canned are much more flavorful!
What to serve with tomato pie?
More Family Favorite Side Dishes
I hope you’ll enjoy all the Mary Mac’s Tea Room recipes as much as I do!
Tomato Pie Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 7 oz Ritz crackers 2.5 sleeves from 13.7 oz box
- 28 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º – spray a 1.5-2 qt casserole dish (8×8 square or 5×7 rectangle) with non-stick spray
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat2 tbsp olive oil
- Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and caramelized, about 4-5 minutes.1 medium yellow onion
- Add salt and black pepper to taste (1/4 tsp of each), stir and remove from heat.
- Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers in the bottom of the casserole dish (I prefer to crush by hand – I like the varied sizes of the pieces vs. pulverizing them with a food processor)7 oz Ritz crackers
- Pour 1 can of tomatoes over the crackers28 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Spread 1/2 of the sautéed onions over the tomatoes
- Repeat the tomato/onion layers with the other can of tomatoes and remaining sauteed onions
- Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers and sprinkle on top of the tomato/onion layer7 oz Ritz crackers
- In a bowl, mix together mayo, cheddar, Parmesan and basil1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp dried basil
- Spread cheese mixture on top of the cracker crumbs. You have to put it on in spoonfuls and then spread lightly with a knife otherwise it just sticks to your cracker crumbs. I laid the mayo mixture on a spot and then lightly spread it and repeated until I covered the crackers.
- Crush remaining 1/2 sleeve of Ritz over top of the mayo mixture7 oz Ritz crackers
- Bake for 30 minutes at 350º
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh basil leaves.
Heather Perine says
I love anything with tomatoes, and you layered it with cracker and cheese..OMG I’ll try and not drool on my screen right now. What a comforting dish for Fall!! I can’t wait to try 🙂
Andrea says
Love Mary Macs and their tomato pie. I will be making this one very soon. It’s pure deliciousness!
Carrie Robinson says
This looks so good! Makes me already miss those summer tomatoes. 🙂
Gina says
I’d never heard of this pie but love the ingredients and it did not disappoint! How delicious and fun for a change of pace when it comes to casseroles!
Jess says
Ok first of all that food tour sounds like heaven. Second of all, this tomato pie is actual HEAVEN!
JT says
Living in Atlanta, I get this everytime I visit Mary Mac’s. They do NOT user fire- roasted tomatoes, just regular diced tomatoes. I tried it your way and it was WAY too spicy.
FoodHussy says
Fire roasted tomatoes are not spicy – they’re just roasted over a flame. There’s absolutely no spiciness in this recipe.
Sherri says
I’ve made this several times, my family loves it! It tastes like a fresh tomato & cheese sandwich! Good the year round.