Make Ahead

Heirloom Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese "Pie" (With a Rice, Millet, and Quinoa Crust)

by:
July 29, 2010
4.4
5 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

I've got loads of heirloom tomatoes in my garden (I planted more than 10 different varieties this year), so I'm always looking for new ways to use them. I wanted to showcase the lovely colors of the tomatoes in a savory pie but without a typical crust, and here's what I came up with. I used a combination of red, orange and green zebra tomatoes, but feel free to use your favorites. —WinnieAb

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Ingredients
  • Brown Rice, Millet, and Quinoa Crust
  • 1/3 cup short grain brown rice
  • 1/3 cup millet
  • 1/3 cup quinoa
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Tomato Pie
  • 1 prebaked rice, millet, and quinoa crust (see above)
  • 3-4 large tomatoes (or 2-3 large tomatoes and several smaller tomatoes)
  • about 20 fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (you could also use feta or sliced mozzarella), or more to taste
  • olive oil
Directions
  1. Brown Rice, Millet, and Quinoa Crust
  2. Combine brown rice, millet, and quinoa with water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until water is absorbed and the grains and quinoa are tender (or prepare in a rice cooker, like I did).
  3. Allow to cool and add olive oil, honey, and salt. Mix well and press evenly into a deep dish pie plate.
  4. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  1. Tomato Pie
  2. Slice tomatoes and layer them in the pie, alternating layers with basil leaves, crumbled goat cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. If your tomatoes are different colors, you can make 1 layer for each color. I sliced my tomatoes fairly thick, so I had three total tomato layers (if you slice them thinner, you might end up with more).
  3. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until crust is brown and tomatoes and cheese are cooked and bubbly.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I grew up in a restaurant family (my parents owned the now closed Quilted Giraffe in NYC) and I've always loved to cook. My interest in the connection between food and health led me to pursue a graduate degree in naturopathic medicine. I don't practice medicine anymore; I have a blog called Healthy Green Kitchen that I started in May of 2009 and I wrote a book called One Simple Change that will be published in January, 2014. I live in upstate New York with my family and many pets.

33 Reviews

satchelsmom June 21, 2017
I cooked the grains as directed and added a Tuscany blend to give it a savory flavor (not a big fan of a sweeter crust). I also added an egg as a binder and used Montrachet cheese. Was absolutely divine! Thanks for the great recipe!
rhubarb_season November 22, 2011
This was very tasty! I added an egg like others recommended and also shaved some asparagus I had sitting in the fridge. I'd like to make it again and possibly add sun-dried tomatoes and a little less cheese but this recipe is perfect as it it!
GirlEatsSoup August 21, 2011
This was delicious! Like several others, I added an egg to the crust ingredients and it was perfect. I also substituted barley for the millet and used bleu cheese mixed in with the chevre. Thanks so much for this recipie....a definite repeat in our home.
pauljoseph August 22, 2010
I like your recipe
thirschfeld August 9, 2010
Hey Winnie, I don't know if this will help. But if you used the same grains in flour form and added potato starch and tapioca flour it helps to bind. So if you wanted to keep the grains whole maybe, after you cooked all the grains and cooled them, you could add the starch and tapioca flour to bind it all. I don't know if it will work but it maybe worth a try. Sorghum flour might help also.
lapadia August 9, 2010
Is an egg substitute ok to use with a Vegan diet? I have used that before too. On another note...how come my replies to a reply creates a new post, don't know what I am doing wrong?
WinnieAb August 9, 2010
If you're clicking "reply to this", it should display properly, but no worries...
Depends on which egg substitute. I personally do eat eggs (lots of them, and have chickens now so I'll be eating even more), but I always like to have vegan options for my blog...so there's something for everyone ;)
lapadia August 9, 2010
I don't know how I missed this recipe, sounds delicious, love goat cheese...fyi - a bit ago I submitted a rice crust on F52 I like to use and I use egg as a binder and have never had a soggy crust with the fillings I have used
WinnieAb August 9, 2010
Really? I didn't see that one, but will go look for it now. I think egg is prob. the way to go, though I'd like to figure out a way to do it without...I had a similar crust in a vegan restaurant once so it must be possible without egg, too.
Dominique F. July 31, 2010
Tried the recipe today. I'm sad to say it didn't turn out good. My crust fell apart. I also used a rice cook for the grains. Maybe adding an egg would've helped to keep it together. I was so excited about the all whole grain crust. Oh well.
WinnieAb August 1, 2010
Dominique,
Thanks for your feedback...I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.
As I said in my comment below to ChezSuzanne, the crust doesn't have a binder, so it does get soggy from the moisture of the tomatoes. The grains end up being more of a vehicle on which to eat the tomatoes, not a true crust at all. I will continue to work on the recipe, though, so that the crust is more truly crust-like, as folks (including me!) clearly like the idea of a gluten-free, flour-free crust.
nannydeb July 30, 2010
Oh, wow! I can't wait to make this!
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Hope you like it!
thirschfeld July 30, 2010
Really beautiful and looks tasty. I like the crust too. I have a pie dish just like it and it is by far my favorite,
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Yes, I LOVE the dish!!!
gingerroot July 29, 2010
YUM! I'm going to make this soon...my husband is allergic to gluten and I love your filling. Thanks!
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Let me know what you think!
gingerroot August 1, 2010
I made this tonight for a big summer gathering and it was delicious! The millet/quinoa addition gave the crust a wonderfully subtle sweetness. Since I was serving it a while after making it, I did add an egg white as a binder and the crust was not overly soggy. I did not have goat cheese on hand and subbed mascarpone mixed with some mild blue cheese; it worked well with the tomatoes. Thanks WinnieAb!
WinnieAb August 1, 2010
Thanks for the great suggestions...it sounds delicious!
AppleAnnie July 29, 2010
This is a very appealing recipe, especially for my family with two people on a gluten free diet. Thank you!
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Hope you like it!
TheWimpyVegetarian July 29, 2010
I can't wait to try this crust! The pie filling looks great too!
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
The crust doesn't have any type of binder, so the moisture of the tomatoes does make it a little soggy, so I suggest serving it in a bowl ;)
Sagegreen July 29, 2010
A really interesting crust! Thanks.
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Healthy and gluten-free...I'm going to continue to play with it.
fraîchement July 29, 2010
How beautiful and delicious does this look? I am excited about the crust and am going to make this in the near future.
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Would love your feedback!
SallyCan July 29, 2010
I can't wait to try this! The crust looks super; I could see using it for an onion and squash pie, too.
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Let me know how you like it!
drbabs July 29, 2010
I bet this is delicious, Winnie.
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
I really like it ;)
Lizthechef July 29, 2010
Looks delightful - I want to try this crust out, and the goat cheese- tomato combo is a sure thing.
WinnieAb July 30, 2010
Thanks Liz!