Italian Easter Pie Recipe – Our Family’s Torta Pasqualina

Last updated on April 19th, 2024

Are you looking to do something a little different this year for Easter? 

Maybe you are on the hunt for a new tradition or perhaps you are just tired of the same Easter menu that you prepare every year?

Whatever the reason, this torta pasqualina (Italian Easter Pie) recipe is the perfect solution. It’s a century old tradition to serve this savory spinach and ricotta pie on Easter in Italy. The torta pasqualina satisfies everyone’s needs and desires: it’s vegetarian and pretty straightforward to make. You can also make it in advance and leftovers freeze beautifully. 

Let this Easter be the year you celebrate Italian style. With my family’s recipe for torta pasqualina, you will stop everyone in their tracks and once you cut into it and see the surprise, you’ll want to make it an Easter tradition!

This recipe is easy but you do need to follow all the instructions properly so please read through the recipe and my notes at the end before starting. There is also a rest period before it bakes and after it comes out of the oven. Have fun!

Torta Pasqualina Pronunciation

Torta Pasqualina means Easter pie in Italian and is pronounced toh-tah pah-skwah-lee-nah.

Listen to the pronunciation of torta pasqualina:

What is Italian Easter Pie?  

Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie filled with a ricotta and spinach mixture. When you cut into it, you are surprised by the hidden hard boiled eggs that have been cooked inside the filling. 

Torta Pasqualina has ancient origins in Liguria dating back to the 1500s. The original recipe is made with 33 sheets of puff pastry in celebration of Christ and 7 eggs, symbolizing the rebirth of life, the return of spring, and conquering death. 

The original Italian Easter pie recipe calls for homemade puff pastry and prescinsêua, a cheese from Genoa but it’s even hard to find outside of Liguria so most recipes use ricotta, including mine. 

For simplicity purposes, I use pre-made frozen pie crust or puff pastry (a round type, not square). Either will do fine so just pick up whatever you prefer. 

The secret to making this pie really stand out is to dig out small holes in the ricotta and spinach mixture and crack the eggs inside. This allows them to cook whole, seeming as hard boiled eggs and make for a fun surprise when you cut it for those who aren’t familiar with the recipe!

Like Eggs? Read about Egg Dishes to Try in Italy.

How and When Italians Eat Torta Pasqualina

As I said, this pie is traditionally made for the Easter holiday (usually in April) and served either on Sunday or on pasquetta, Easter Monday, which is a federal holiday in Italy. 

A typical Italian Easter menu is full of meat so this is a nice little break for those of you who who need one too!

My favorite thing about this recipe is that you can make it in advance, eat it at room temp or if you want, gently reheat it ever so slightly in the oven. It makes holiday cooking a lot easier and less stressful. 

Italians will make this alongside everything else they are making for Easter including other Italian specialties such Casatiello, Tortano, Pastiera salata, Babà Rustico, and Colomba salata. It might also be served the following day at a picnic lunch with friends, a tradition on Easter Monday in Italy (it’s actually even better the next day!).

Torta Pasqualina Ingredients

prep 30 min, cook 45, total, rest time 1 hr 30 min

serves 8

• 2 pre-prepared frozen pie crusts or rounds of puff pastry (in the USA, my favorite is Trader Joe’s)
• 2.2 lbs fresh spinach, swiss chard or a mix, well washed and picked through (see Notes & Tips for how to)*
• 1 small white onion
• 1 fresh sprig marjoram, optional
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 10.5 oz cow’s milk ricotta
• 5 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 3 oz parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Torta Pasqualina Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Remove the ricotta from its container and let drain in a fine mesh strainer over the sink to remove any excess liquid. 
2. Finely chop the white onion and add it to a large saute pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. While the onions are cooking, clean the greens well (see notes) and remove the marjoram from the stem and finely chop.
4. Add the greens and the marjoram, if using, to the pan with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until all the water has evaporated from the spinach, turning often to help the cooking process along, 10-15 minutes depending on how you remove the liquid. Listen for a slight sizzling sound as an indication that almost all the water has evaporated. It’s very IMPORTANT for all excess water to evaporate or the pie will be soggy. To speed up the process, spoon out a bit of the water as it’s expelled from the spinach, being careful not to remove the onion by using a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
5. While the water is evaporating, combine the drained ricotta, 1 egg, the parmesan, a few grinds of black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl. Mix well.
6. Add the cooled greens to the ricotta mixture and combine. 
7. Remove a pie crust and gently place it into a 9-10 inch springform pan lined with parchment paper.
8. Add the greens and ricotta mixture to the pie crust, creating an even layer.
9. Create 4 small holes with a spoon, evenly spaced in the spinach mixture and crack an egg into each hole. 
10. Cover with the remaining pie crust and seal well. Let rest in the fridge for 30 min while you preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C)
11. Prick the top all over with a fork and gently brush with the egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water. 
12. Bake in the bottom of the oven for 40-50 minutes until golden brown on top.
13. Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and letting it come to room temperature, about an hour, before cutting. 

Torta Pasqualina Substitutions

• Use pie crust and puff pastry interchangeably. 
• Make your own pie crust from scratch instead of store-bought.
• Use a combination of greens such as swiss chard and spinach together.
• Use sauteed artichokes (cleaned and thinly sliced) in place of cooked greens.

What to Serve With Italian Easter Pie

This is considered a piatto unico in Italy, or an all-in-one meal if you serve it with a couple of sides. Consider the following:

• Green salad
• Arugula and parmesan salad
• Roasted vegetables such as carrots 
• Pan sauteed artichokes
• Grilled or roasted asparagus

Notes and Tips

• *Cleaning Spinach: Remove any stalky stems and undesirable spinach leaves. Clean the spinach in batches by filling the sink with water and gently turning it around with your hands. After cleaning the spinach a first time, let it rest in a cool water bath in the sink for an extra 5 minutes allowing any extra dirt to fall to the bottom. Gently lift up the spinach, allow it to drain for a second over the sink in your hands and add to the pan.
• *Cleaning Swiss Chard: Remove the large stalks and roughly chop the leaves. Continue as indicated above for cleaning spinach in the sink.
• Be sure all the water has evaporated from the spinach/swiss chard mixture before moving on. If you are in any doubt, you can squeeze out any excess liquid once the greens have cooled and discard. 
• Use an oven thermometer to be sure your oven temperature is accurate. 
• Be sure to make the holes big enough to hold the eggs to avoid them spilling over the holes you have made. Use a spoon to push the ricotta and spinach mixture to the sides and carve out a little wells being careful not to poke a hole or tear the bottom pie crust. 

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Italian Easter Pie Recipe (Torta Pasqualina)

Our family's straightforward recipe for the traditional Italian Easter pie (torta pasqualina), a savory ricotta and spinach pie.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Resting Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 pre-prepared frozen pie crusts or rounds of puff pastry (in the USA, my favorite is Trader Joe’s)
• 2.2 lbs fresh spinach, swiss chard or a mix, well washed and picked through (see Notes & Tips for how to)*
• 1 small white onion
• 1 sprig fresh marjoram optional
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 10.5 oz cow’s milk ricotta
• 5 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 oz parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1.5 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Remove the ricotta from its container and let drain in a fine mesh strainer over the sink to remove any excess liquid. 
• Finely chop the white onion and add it to a large saute pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, clean the greens well (see notes) and remove the marjoram from the stem and finely chop.
• Add the greens and the marjoram, if using, to the pan with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until all the water has evaporated from the spinach, turning often to help the cooking process along, 10-15 minutes depending on how you remove the liquid. Listen for a slight sizzling sound as an indication that almost all the water has evaporated. It’s very IMPORTANT for all excess water to evaporate or the pie will be soggy. To speed up the process, spoon out a bit of the water as it’s expelled from the spinach, being careful not to remove the onion by using a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
• While the water is evaporating, combine the drained ricotta, 1 egg, the parmesan, a few grinds of black pepper and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl. Mix well.
• Add the cooled greens to the ricotta mixture and combine. 
• Remove a pie crust and gently place it into a 9-10 inch springform pan lined with parchment paper.
• Add the greens and ricotta mixture to the pie crust, creating an even layer.
• Create 4 small holes with a spoon, evenly spaced in the spinach mixture and crack an egg into each hole. 
• Cover with the remaining pie crust and seal well. Let rest in the fridge for 30 min while you preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C)
• Prick the top all over with a fork and gently brush with the egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water. 
• Bake in the bottom of the oven for 40-50 minutes until golden brown on top.
• Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and letting it come to room temperature, about an hour, before cutting. 

Notes

• Cleaning Spinach: Remove any stalky stems and undesirable spinach leaves. Clean the spinach in batches by filling the sink with water and gently turning it around with your hands. After cleaning the spinach a first time, let it rest in a cool water bath in the sink for an extra 5 minutes allowing any extra dirt to fall to the bottom. Gently lift up the spinach, allow it to drain for a second over the sink in your hands and add to the pan.
• Cleaning Swiss Chard: Remove the large stalks and roughly chop the leaves. Continue as indicated above for cleaning spinach in the sink.
• Be sure all the water has evaporated from the spinach/swiss chard mixture before moving on. If you are in any doubt, you can squeeze out any excess liquid once the greens have cooled and discard. 
• Use an oven thermometer to be sure your oven temperature is accurate. 
• Be sure to make the holes big enough to hold the eggs to avoid them spilling over the holes you have made. Use a spoon to push the ricotta and spinach mixture to the sides and carve out a little wells being careful not to poke a hole or tear the bottom pie crust. 

Keyword authentic, holiday, savory, traditional

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Torta Pasqualina FAQ