Torta Pasqualina Pie: An Easy and Quick Spinach and Ricotta Pie with Egg Surprise (VIDEO)
Meet the Italian Easter pie that everyone will go crazy for: Torta Pasqualina recipe!
If you’re looking for an Easter recipe to wow your family and friends this year, you’ve got to try making Torta Pasqualina. This traditional Italian Easter pie is super easy to make and so delicious!
All you need is a few simple ingredients like spinach, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, and eggs. And Pâte brisée or shortcrust pastry. I’m using ready made Shortcrust Pastry sheet to make the crust because it saves time, but you can totally make your own pie dough if you prefer (This is my Shortcrust pastry video tutorial). Just layer the filling ingredients into the crust, fold up the edges and bake. The result is a gorgeous savory pie that’s perfect for Easter brunch or lunch.
Trust me, everyone will be asking you for the recipe after trying a slice of this Italian Easter pie!
What is Torta Pasqualina
Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie that’s really popular around Easter time in Italy. It’s super easy and quick to make at home because you can use store-bought pie crust or shortcrust pastry. What makes this pie unique is that each slice is a surprise. Before baking, raw eggs are placed on top of the ricotta and spinach filling. Once baked, the eggs are cooked and become the surprise element of the pie. The key is to make little wells in the filling using a spoon, then crack an egg into each well. This way when your guests take a slice, they’ll be surprised by the cooked egg hidden inside. It’s sure to wow everyone who tries it!
Like all traditional recipes, the Easter Pasqualina pie recipe has several variations. This is my version.
Classic Torta Pasqualina Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 1 kg spinach, washed and ready to eat
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or dried marjoram
- Salt to taste
- 350 g Ricotta cheese
- 50 g of Parmesan cheese
- 5 eggs
- 2 Shortcrust Pastry sheets or Pâte brisée sheets
How To Make Traditional Pasqualina Pie
Tools You Will Need
In addition to the tools that we all already have in the kitchen, to make your Torta Pasqualina you will need a 22 – 24 cm springform cake pan (9-inch)
Watch Torta Pasqualina Video Tutorial
Italian Pasqualina Pie Recipe Instructions
Prepare the spinach ricotta filling
In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion for a few minutes, until it begins to become translucent. Add the spinach and wilt it over low heat (1). Add the marjoram and salt to taste. Stir and then turn off the heat. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
Once cooled, take handfuls of spinach directly from the skillet and squeeze tightly between your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Place the squeezed spinach in a large bowl (2). Combine the spinach in the bowl with the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese (3), one egg and a pinch of salt. Mix the ingredients well until a creamy compound forms.
Assemble the pie
Lightly grease the baking dish with a small amount of oil. Then lay a sheet of dough on the base, folding the edges up 2-3 cm. Fill the base with the ricotta and spinach cream mixture, covering it well up to the edges (4). With a spoon, form three indentations of approximately 5cm in diameter in the filling (5). Gently crack the eggs and slide one egg into each indentation, being careful not to break the yolks (6).
Cover the filling with the other sheet of dough, sealing it well at the edges with the bottom sheet of dough. Roll the edges to form a decorative cord (7). Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and use it to brush the surface of the pie. Make indentations on the surface using a fork or sharp knife so the tart does not puff up during baking (8).
Bake your Pasqualina pie
Bake the pie at 180°C (356°F) in a static oven for approximately one hour, placing the baking dish on the lower rack. Once baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan. The pasqualina pie is now ready to be sliced and served!
Pasqualina Pie Storage Instructions
Torta Pasqualina can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. After this point, it is best to refrigerate the cake where it will maintain quality for an additional three days.
Alternatively, the pie can be frozen. When freezing, it is recommended to cut it into individual slices prior to freezing. This allows one to thaw only the amount of pie needed as opposed to thawing the entire batch. To consume frozen slices of pie, place the desired number of slices in the refrigerator the night before to thaw slowly. Once thawed, heating the slices gently in an oven set to 160°C (320°F) will restore texture.
I also like it at room temperature!
Torta Pasqualina Pie: An Easy and Quick Spinach and Ricotta Pie with Egg Surprise
Equipment
- 1 cm 22 spring form pan (9-inch)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 1 kg spinach washed and ready to eat
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or dried marjoram
- Salt to taste
- 350 g Ricotta
- 50 g Parmesan
- 5 eggs
- 2 Shortcrust Pastry sheet
Instructions
- In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes, until it begins to become translucent.
- Add the spinach and wilt over low heat.
- Add the marjoram and salt to taste. Stir and turn off the heat. Allow to cool completely.
- Now take handfuls of spinach directly from the skillet and squeeze tightly between your hands to remove as much liquid as possible. Place the squeezed spinach in a large bowl.
- Combine the spinach in the bowl with the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, 1 egg and a pinch of salt and mix well until a creamy compound forms.
- Grease the baking dish with a little oil, then lay a sheet of dough on the base, folding the edges up 2-3 cm. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Fill the base with the ricotta and spinach cream, covering well up to the edges.
- With a spoon, form 3 indentations of about 5cm in diameter in the filling.
- Gently crack the eggs and slide 1 egg into each indentation, being careful not to break the yolks.
- Cover the filling with the other sheet of dough, sealing well at the edges with the bottom sheet of pasta, and rolling the edges to form a decorative cord.
- Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and use it to brush the surface of the pie.
- Using a fork or sharp knife, make indentations on the surface so the tart does not puff up during baking.
- Bake at 180°C in a static oven for about 1 hour, placing the baking dish on the lower rack.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan. Your pasqualina pie is ready to be sliced and served!
