What's Cooking? Tomato Pie - Tex-Mex edition!

Thanks to our fabulous CSA, Gorman Farm, we are nearly drowning in fresh, delicious tomatoes.  We have pounds - pounds! - of them sitting in our fridge.   I'm not really in the mood to can any more tomatoes, so I've been looking for things to do with them.  Luckily, the CSA also puts out a weekly e-newsletter with recipes for some of the produce we are receiving.  A few weeks ago, they sent out a recipe for Tomato Pie, which was an instant hit with my husband (not so much for the kids).  It's super simple to make and easy to adapt.  The original calls for a mayonnaise sauce, which is very rich, very creamy, and thankfully does not taste very mayo-y.

The original recipe  [Tex-Mex changes in brackets]:
1) Obtain pie crust - I get mine from the freezer section of the grocery.  If you're a real purist about making your own, more power to you.

2) Bake unfilled pie crust at 350 degrees for ~ 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Remove crust from oven.

3) Layer sliced tomatoes [and banana peppers] into crust.  I usually cut them ~1/4" thick, but again, it's not a precise science.  I layer until the crust is halfway full.

4) Spread sauce (which you have previously mixed).  The original sauce is 3/4 c. mayo, 1-1/2 c. shredded cheese, and salt & pepper to taste. [Tex-Mex version: 1/2 c. ranch dressing, 1-1/2c. Mexican four cheese blend, salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon (eyeball it) of Tapatio hot sauce.]

5)  Add another layer of tomatoes, and more cheese if desired (and really, who doesn't desire more cheese??).

6) Bake for ~ 15 minutes.

7) Remove from oven and ENJOY!

The final product

The side view