This easy tomato galette recipe (free-form rustic tart) is made with premade pie crust dough, spreadable garlic and herbs cheese, and sliced fresh tomatoes. Serve this simple tomato and cheese tart for brunch, a light dinner or a Southern appetizer. Yellow cornmeal is pressed into the store-bought crust to give it that homemade, rustic look.

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This savory tomato "pie" looks impressive like a French tomato galette, especially if you use heirloom tomatoes of different shapes and sizes. But, it's actually another one of my Southern shortcut recipes.
No fancy equipment needed. No waiting for homemade dough to rest in the fridge. No need to buy and shred several expensive cheeses.
My summer garden is full of purple and yellow cherry tomatoes, Mr. Stripey heirloom tomatoes, Better Boy and Roma tomatoes. If I have any green tomatoes leftover from making my Perfect-Every-Time Fried Green Tomatoes, I'll use one of those in this galette recipe to mix up the colors.
What is a galette?
The short answer is a free-form, flat pastry, usually round, with either sweet or savory toppings. The edges are folded toward the center, rather than shaping and crimping an edge like a traditional pie crust.
If you like fuss-free apple pie, try my Shortcut Caramel Apple Pie (Galette).
Shortcuts
- By definition, a galette is a shortcut pie or tart since the edges are simply folded over instead of crimping into a design.
- Refrigerated pre-made, rolled up pie crust dough is a game changer. No rolling pin needed. I do like to press in the cornmeal in this recipe to give it a more rustic, homemade look.
- Many fresh tomato galettes require you to salt the tomatoes and let slices drain for 30 minutes to remove liquid from the juicy tomatoes. In this galette recipe, cornmeal on the top and bottom of the crust helps soak up some of the juice. Plus, I do let the tomato slices drain on paper towels while I'm preparing the crust, then pat the top of them with paper towels.
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for ingredient quantities.
- Cornmeal- Cornmeal does two things for this tomato gallette. It gives the premade pie crust that rustic look instead of the perfectly smooth texture of store-bought pie crust. Secondly, it helps soak up the tomato juice from the sliced fresh tomatoes, preventing a soggy crust on the bottom.
- Premade pie crust dough- Refrigerated, rolled-up pie crust dough is a time saver. Many brands make it and my favorites are Pillsbury pie crust and Publix pie crust dough. It's not homemade, but I'm happy with the flaky pie crust it produces considering all I have to do is unroll it!
- Spreadable cheese and herbs blend- Alouette cheese spread is found in the specialty cheese section. Boursin is another similar spreadable cheese you could use. This shortcut ingredient combines several ingredients that I don't have to buy, chop or measure: cream cheese/Neufchatel/goat cheese, dried or fresh herbs, and minced garlic.
- Fresh tomatoes- Any size and color of tomato can be used. Roma tomatoes are firm and tend to have less juice. Cherry tomatoes are small and perfect to fit in the tiny open spaces between tomato slices. Make it an heirloom tomato galette recipe if you grow them or find them at a local farmers market.
- Parmesan cheese- Just a small sprinkling of pre-shredded Parmesan cheese is needed to top off the tomatoes since you already have the cheese spread.
- (Optional) Brush the crust with olive oil for darker brown edges. Sprinkle with black pepper and garnish with fresh basil, if you like.
Tasty Note: Pressing cornmeal into the premade pie crust in this galette will remind you of the crunchy combination of cornmeal and tangy green tomatoes in the Southern side dish, Fried Green Tomatoes.
If you love a deep dish Southern tomato pie, try my Tomato and Vidalia Onion Pie with Bacon. It ALSO starts with premade pie crust dough!
How to make this fresh tomato galette
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
Remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature, according to package directions.
- Slice the tomatoes between ¼ and ½-inch thick.
- Let the tomato slices drain on paper towels while preparing the crust. If using green tomatoes, you may not have to let them drain, at all.
Pro Tip: Using a serrated knife works best to cut tomatoes.
- Unroll premade pie crust on cornmeal-sprinkled surface. (See printable recipe below for important detail on using store-bought pie crust.) Flip crust and press crust into cornmeal.
- Next, dollop spreadable herbed cheese in the center.
- Spread the herbed cheese to within 1 inch of edges.
- Arrange tomato slices on the herbed cheese.
- Pull edges toward tomatoes, overlapping about every 3 inches as you go around the circle.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. With parchment paper or a large round spatula, transfer the tomato pastry to a baking sheet or pizza stone.
- Bake the galette and enjoy! (See printable recipe below for baking temp and time.)
Pro Tip: Brushing the edges of the galette crust with olive oil right before baking will give it a more golden-brown finish, but not necessary.
Serve Easy Tomato Galette warm or at room temperature.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cherry Tomato Galette - Use different colors of cherry tomatoes plus grape tomatoes.
- Tomato Goat Cheese Galette- Simply trade out the spreadable cheese and herbs blend with the same amount of either plain or herbed goat cheese.
- Add-ins: Pesto, feta cheese, fresh chives or thyme, shredded Italian cheese in place of Parmesan, fresh corn, crispy bacon.
What to serve with tomato galette
- If serving small wedges as an appetizer, something spicy like Shortcut Mini Chicken and Waffles with Shortcut Homemade Hot Honey is a nice finger food to go with them. You could even drizzle the hot honey over the galette!
- As a Southern side dish, what goes better with fresh tomatoes than garden-fresh okra? My Oven-Fried or Air Fryer Fried Okra is a perfect companion.
- Tomato galette can also be served for dinner like a galette "pizza". This is where you might want to sprinkle on same crispy bacon.
Can I bake this in my air fryer?
Yes, if you have a larger basket-style or most oven-style air fryers, you can cook this tomato galette in an air fryer. Cook at 375F degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese mixture is bubbly and crust is lightly browned. You can also bake it in a convection oven at same temperature and time as air fryer directions.
How to store
Since there is cheese in the pastry, store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, or in an air tight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated in the microwave or air fryer.
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Easy Tomato Galette
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Ingredients
- 1 rolled-up, refrigerated premade pie crust dough [from a (14.1-ounce) package of two] (I used Pillsbury)
- 3 small tomatoes, any color or shape (cherry tomatoes can be used)
- 2 tablespoons cornmeal (I used yellow)
- ½ cup herbs and garlic-flavored spreadable cheese ( I used Alouette)
- 2 tablespoons pre-shredded Parmesan cheese
- (Optional) Ground black pepper, olive oil, fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Remove one refrigerator, rolled-up pie crust from the box and place it on the counter, still in the plastic sleeve, for about 15 minutes. The box directions say to do this but many overlook it-like I did for many years!
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes and lay them on two layers of paper towels to drain. Take another paper towel or two and gently press the tops of the tomato slices.
- Sprinkle the cornmeal on the counter or right on parchment paper to make it easier to transfer to the baking sheet.
- Remove the pie crust dough from the plastic sleeve and unroll it onto the cornmeal. Use your fingers to smooth out the edges and gently press the dough into the cornmeal or use a rolling pin.
- Flip the pie crust, gathering the scattered cornmeal underneath it. Gently press that side of the pie crust into the cornmeal.
- For easier spreading, first dollop spoonfuls of the spreadable cheese onto the top of the pie crust. Distribute the cheese by spreading it to within 1 inch of the pie crust edge.
- Arrange the slices of tomato on the cheese spread.
- Pull edges toward tomatoes, overlapping about every 3 inches as you go around the circle. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- (Optional) If desired, brush the edges of the pie crust with olive oil for extra browning. Sprinkle with ground black pepper, if you like.
- Bake for 23 minutes or until the cheese mixture is bubbly and the crust is lightly browned. If desired, sprinkle with fresh basil leaves. Cut into wedges to serve.
Notes
- If serving small wedges as an appetizer, something spicy like Shortcut Mini Chicken and Waffles with Shortcut Homemade Hot Honey is a nice finger food to go with them. You could even drizzle the hot honey over the galette!
- As a Southern side dish, what goes better with fresh tomatoes than garden-fresh okra? My Oven-Fried or Air Fryer Fried Okra is a perfect companion.
- Tomato galette can also be served for dinner like a galette "pizza". This is where you might want to sprinkle on same crispy bacon.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Deb
Thank you for the super easy tomato galette recipe!
Had to use up some tomatoes and had leftover goat
cheeses and voila! Didn't have cornmeal and wasn't
going to drive to the store for 2 tbsp, and it turned
out delicious! (didn't need it) Never made a savory galette, always
berry but now this will be my go to!
Kathleen
I am so glad you made the tomato let and used what you had! The cornmeal just helps it have more of a rustic look and mouth feel but still fantastic without it! Thank you for making my recipe and sharing your experience with us!