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overhead view of baking dish of roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie with tomato basil on the side

Have you roasted any tomatoes lately? I'm just asking because it's one of the most delicious ways to enjoy tomatoes. Right now it's summer, the most glorious season of fresh, local tomatoes here in New England. Farm stands will soon be overrun with a selection of tomatoes like you've never seen. I highly recommend you pick some up and make this delicious roasted tomato & whipped feta phyllo pie.

Roasting Tomatoes Guarantee Incredible Flavor

Let's start from the beginning. Raw tomatoes and roasted tomatoes do not taste the same. Are we on the same page with that? Good. If you think they taste the same my website will detect that and this page will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1. Kaplow!

Raw and cooked are different. Sliced, raw tomatoes on a plate with fresh mozzarella, good olive oil, salt, pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar are a revelation. A light meal that will fulfill all your cravings on a hot day in August. I love fresh, uncooked tomatoes in the summer and indulge frequently.

Roasted tomatoes bring a rich, full flavor that is so supremely different and wonderful. It's not the same as putting fresh raw tomatoes in a quiche and then cooking it. That doesn't mean you roasted the tomatoes. (That's a hint that you can't do that with this recipe either). Roasted tomatoes cook for about an hour on their own and take very little effort.

Roasted Tomatoes Are Easy to Make & Versatile

Once you start incorporating roasted tomatoes into your life, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them. You can use them on your salads, in a quiche (think roasted tomato, asparagus & gruyere), on your sandwiches (like my fried green tomatillo sandwich), chicken dishes (like my chicken caprese w/roasted tomatoes OR my stuffed chicken w/roasted tomatoes and goat cheese, pizza, and in this very tasty roasted tomato & whipped feta phyllo pie. I have a video that shows the step-by-step instructions if you'd like to check that out here: Easy, Delicious Roasted Garlic Tomatoes. I show the process in the video for this phyllo pie as well using plum tomatoes rather than slicer tomatoes.

Here are the nuts and bolts of roasting tomatoes, and you can do this a day or two ahead of making the phyllo pie.

Simple Steps to Roasting Your Tomatoes:

Core the tomatoes. For larger tomatoes, coring tool or paring knife will work here. For smaller tomatoes (plum, like in this recipe) cut tops off first.
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise.
Pull the guts out (all the seeds & goop).
Place them in a 9x13 baking dish.
Add a pinch of finely diced garlic to each tomato (optional).
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees. For plum tomatoes, check the tomatoes at 30 to 45 minutes. Let cook a little longer if you want some char on that. For larger, slicer tomatoes they will need a full hour (longer if you want a little char).

cut plum tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper before roasting — *Before roasting plum tomatoes*

roasted tomatoes on a sheet pan right out of the oven — *Before roasting plum tomatoes*

What is Whipped Feta?

Whipped feta is feta cheese that gets run through a blender or food processor. Add a couple of other ingredients in order to make this a creamy consistency and you're done. I used non-fat (no sugar) plain yogurt and some olive oil to add a little richness. You can use any plain yogurt you want. I tried Trader Joe's European plain yogurt with this recipe and it was perfect. You can use your favorite plain yogurt, Greek, whole milk, non-fat - whatever you like. However, I would recommend a yogurt with no added sugar since that will change the flavor profile.

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Just Three Ingredients to Make Whipped Feta:

Feta cheese
Extra virgin or regular olive oil
No-fat yogurt (no added sugars) or any other plain yogurt

I purchased a block of feta cheese, but you can also buy the already-crumbled cheese as well. Just make sure it's 8 ounces. If you think you need a little more olive oil - go for it. This is pretty flexible, but do make sure you taste it after it's blended.

Easy Steps to Make Roasted Tomato & Whipped Feta Phyllo Pie

ramekin of finely chopped garlic — *Finely dice the garlic*

slicing plum tomatoes in half for roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie — *Finely dice the garlic*

gutted and halved plum tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper — *Add garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper - roast in oven*

cubing chunk of feta cheese to make whipped feta for roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie — *Add garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper - roast in oven*

adding ingredients to blender for whipped feta: feta cheese, plain yogurt and olive oil — *Feta, yogurt and olive oil in blender or processor*

overhead view of whipped feta after blended — *Feta, yogurt and olive oil in blender or processor*

chopping fresh basil for roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie — *Chop basil*

grating fresh parmesan cheese — *Chop basil*

layering and buttering sheet of phyllo dough for the pie — *Layer and butter the phyllo dough*

add and smooth out the whipped feta during pie assembly — *Layer and butter the phyllo dough*

sprinkle fresh grated parmesan cheese onto whipped feta — *Sprinkle parmesan over feta*

lay out the roasted tomatoes and add a pinch of fresh basil to the top of each for roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie — *Sprinkle parmesan over feta*

brushing butter on final top layer of phyllo dough for roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie — *Add top phyllo layers and butter*

make sure to score, or cut, the phyllo pie into twelve squares before cooking roasted tomato and whipped feta phyllo pie — *Add top phyllo layers and butter*

Make the Choice to Cook at Home

It's never been a better time to learn how to cook and get to know your kitchen. Eating out has become unaffordable for most people with low quality food to boot. If you go to work every day, what are you eating when you get there? Are you in a food rut where you fly out the door each morning and end up spending too much for lunch? I promise if you start planning your meals and groceries ahead of time - you will benefit in so many ways. Start cooking with leftovers in mind so you have lunches during the week. Make a little more than you need and it will save you money every day.

There are a lot of resources on the internet to teach you how to cook. My website is one of them. I have instructional videos for every recipe detailing the whole cooking process. I'm here to help in any way I can. Cooking is love and food is love. Go to your kitchen and make something delicious. You can do this!

Roasted Tomato & Whipped Feta Phyllo Pie

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Author: Stacey
Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (includes 1 hour roasted tomato cook time)
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 6 portions 1x

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Description

Roasted tomato & whipped feta phyllo pie is a crunchy, delicious recipe bursting with fresh flavors. A vegetarian’s delight!

Instructions

Make the roasted tomatoes first and start by finely dicing the garlic. You can make the tomatoes without garlic so if you’re not a garlic lover just skip this step.
For the roasted tomatoes: Cut the tops from the plum tomatoes and throw in garbage bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Over the garbage bowl, with a spoon, scoop out the seeds and guts of the tomato, including the tough white strip in the middle. Lay tomato halves on parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Add a pinch of garlic to the top of each tomato if using. Drizzle olive oil on tomatoes and get some on the bottom of the sheet pan as well. Season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bake in pre-heated oven at 40 degrees for about 45 minutes. Check at 30 minutes. Cook a bit longer if you want a little char on the tomatoes. These should cool for 15-20 minutes before assembling the pie. Feel free to make these a day or two ahead and refrigerate.
Make the whipped feta. Add feta to a blender or food processer along with olive oil and yogurt. Blend until smooth. I had to scrape down the sides of my blender a couple of times during the process.
Stack the large basil leaves on top of each other and then roll like a cigar. Run your knife down the basil to create thin strips. Rotate pile and dice down smaller from there.
Shred the fresh parmesan cheese. You can use the already-shredded, bagged stuff from the grocery store too. I like using fresh and I always have it on hand.
PIE ASSEMBLY: Please watch the video to see the layering process – it will be very helpful.
Once the roasted tomatoes have cooled, it’s time to assemble the pie. You should spray non-stick cooking spray to cover the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish. I’ve found using cooking spray instead of butter is better – less greasy.
Open the box of phyllo dough and unroll it. You should keep the stack of phyllo sheets right next to your assembly area. Phyllo sheets are very delicate so separate them carefully as you are using. My recipe calls for 14 sheets for this recipe. You can use more if you want – it’s a very forgiving recipe. I don’t butter every, single layer, but you can if you want (you’ll need more butter if you do). I used more layers in this recipe than my Moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie because there is a creamy filling here.
There will be a total of 7 layers on the bottom and 4 on top. Place two sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping, with excess phyllo dough hanging from the sides of the baking dish. Throughout this process, as you add each layer of dough gently press down on the dough to flatten. (my video shows this entire process very well, please watch it will be very helpful) .
Brush butter on the bottom and sides as well as the flaps hanging over the sides.
Place two more sheets of phyllo dough, overlapping, but this time with excess phyllo dough hanging from the ends (or handles) of the baking dish. Don’t butter this layer.
Place two more sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping, with excess phyllo dough hanging from the sides of the baking dish again.
Brush butter on the bottom and sides as well as the flaps hanging over the sides.
Add one final sheet of phyllo dough in the center of the baking dish. The bottom of the pie is now finished.
Transfer the whipped feta to the baking dish and smooth out evenly with a spatula.
Add the shredded parmesan cheese on top of the whipped feta.
Place the cooled tomatoes on top of the cheese. Five across the top and three down worked well. This left one leftover tomato half. Three options for that: eat it for a snack, add it to the pie, or save it and slice it for garnish on your serving plate. I used as a garnish.
Add a pinch of chopped basil on top of each tomato.
Folder over all four edges of the phyllo dough towards the center of the pie.
Place one sheet of phyllo dough centered over the top and butter that layer.
Place another sheet of phyllo dough centered over the top and do not butter that layer.
Place another phyllo sheet in the center and butter that layer.
Place another phyllo sheet in the center, then fold all four edges to the center and one final buttering over the top.
Time to score, or cut, the pie into 12 squares. You must score the pie before it is cooked as it will be difficult and messy to do after and will compromise the presentation. Using a small, sharp knife works well for this.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the phyllo dough is golden brown. Let it cool at least 10 minutes before serving – 20 if you can wait that long. Feeds six people with two squares each as the portion size.
Serve it right from the backing dish or cut squares and arrange on a platter. A salad on the side works great for this. You can enjoy as a meal or a snack.