Torta Pasqualina is a savory Easter pie that includes homemade pie crust that’s loaded with a cheesy blend of spinach, chard, cheese, and eggs.  This torta is wonderful with breakfast, brunch, or even as an appetizer and just as tasty as it is beautiful!

Slice of torta pasqualina in white plate with fork.

Some of the best Italian and Italian-American meals are prepared for Easter.

From the slightly sweet Easter brioche bread, to pastiera Napoletana, to this torta Pasqualina, the variety of flavors, textures, and techniques really do run the gamut.

I’d argue that while the eggs in this dish give it that Easter flair,  this savory green pie can certainly be made year-round because it’s too good not to!

Ingredients shown: flour, milk, ricotta, onion, salt, sugar, nutmeg, eggs, parmesan, butter, spinach, swiss chard, and escarole.

How to make torta pasqualina

First, make the dough

  1. Add 3 1/2 cups (450g) of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix the ingredients. 
  2. Add 2 sticks (226g) of cold, cubed butter and pulse for 20-30 seconds or until the mix is well incorporated but still crumbly.  The mix should be coarse and grainy.

Torta pasqualina dough recipe process shot collage group number one.

  1. Add 1/3 cup (80g) of milk and 2 large eggs and pulse again until a dough is formed.
  2. The dough will be a crumbly mess at this point, but that’s ok. 
  3. Place the dough on a work surface and knead for just a few seconds.
  4. You want to knead just long enough until the mixture comes together in a rough mass.

Recipe process shot collage group number two.

  1. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into two balls.  One ball should be larger than the other, about 2/3’s worth of the dough, while the other is smaller using the remaining dough.
  2. Wrap the balls tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour before using them.  

Next, assemble and bake

  1. While the dough is chilling prepare the filling.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  While you wait, wash and finely chop 1 bunch of green Swiss chard, and 1 pound of baby spinach, or any combination of greens that you’d like.  Note: pictured below is also escarole, but you could also use dandelion greens.  If you do opt for a third green, reduce the amount of spinach accordingly.  And if you do have extra filling, you might have some remaining dough scrapes to make a small individual pie!
  2. Once boiling, add the chard and after 3-4 minutes, add the spinach and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Drain the greens in a large colander and thoroughly squeeze to remove the excess water.  Note: Placing the greens into a clean dish towel and tying and squeezing works very well to remove excess water.

Torta pasqualina recipe process shot collage group number one.

  1. Dice one large onion and add it to a large pan over medium heat along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  
  2. Saute the onion until soft, then add the greens and cook for another 5 minutes.  Season the greens with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Transfer the greens to a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool for around 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, squeeze the greens again to remove any excess water.  You can do this by pressing them in a colander, or by tying and squeezing through a clean kitchen cloth. 
  4. Add 12 ounces of drained ricotta (ricotta should be drained overnight or squeezed through a cheesecloth), 1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and mix to combine.  Taste test the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.  Once satisfied with the taste, add 2 beaten eggs and set the filling aside.

Recipe process shot collage group number two.

  1. Remove the dough from the fridge 10-15 minutes before rolling to help prevent cracking. Preheat the oven to 375f and set one rack to the lowest level and the second to the middle level. Grease a 9×3-inch springform pan with butter or lard. On a floured work surface, roll out the larger dough ball.  
  2. The dough should be rolled into a circle approximately a 1/4 inch thick and about 15 inches round. Use a bench scraper and begin to separate the dough from the work surface and drape it over a rolling pin.
  3. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet and use the rolling pin to transfer the dough to the springform pan.  
  4. Tuck the edges into the pan and allow the excess to overhang.  Any open spots can easily be patched with the excess dough.

Recipe process shot collage group number three.

  1. Pour the filling into the pan leaving at least a 3/4-inch of space at the top of the pan.
  2. Use a spoon to create 5 wells in the filling large enough to accommodate the eggs.  Crack one egg into each of the holes.  Note: Marking the spot of your eggs is a good idea so that you can cut vents where they are and ensure finished cuts show a crosssection of the cooked egg.
  3. Roll out the second smaller ball to a circle a bit larger than the pie pan and place it on top of the pie using the rolling pin.  
  4. Close the pie up with the excess dough around the edges by using a fork to seal it.

Recipe process shot collage group number four.

  1. Cut vent lines in the areas where the eggs were placed so that slices will have a crosssection of the egg. Beat 1 egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water and brush the top of the pie crust.  If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar on top of the pie for extra texture.
  2. Bake the pie for 20 minutes on the lowest rack, then move the pan up to the middle and continue baking for an additional 35-40 minutes.  The total baking time will be approximately 55-60 minutes.  Check the pie at the halfway point and if it looks like it’s getting too brown, cover the top loosely with foil.  Once golden brown, remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack.  Once the pie has cooled for at least 45 minutes, you can remove the sides of the springform pan, slice, and serve.  Enjoy!

Torta pasqualina in white platter with knife.

Top tips

  • Greens.  The recipe calls for 1 pound of baby spinach and 1 bunch of green chard.  Feel free to use additional greens if you’d like a variety.  If doing so, reduce the amount of spinach accordingly.  You can also make torta Pasqualina with all spinach and no chard. Whichever greens you choose, just be sure to remove the excess water from the greens after boiling, and again after sauteeing.  If you do use extra greens and have extra filling, use the remaining dough scrapes to make a small individual pie.  Small ramekins work well for this.
  • Ricotta. Similar to the greens, any excess water needs to be removed from the ricotta.  We recommend draining the ricotta overnight through a cheesecloth. This helps to prevent a soggy pie.
  • Additions. Thanks to the greens, torta Pasqualina is very similar to the Greek spanokopita which contains feta cheese. If you’d like to add feta to this, you certainly could!
  • Pie crust. Some people use phyllo dough, puff pastry dough, or pizza dough for torta Pasqualina.  We like to use our pasta frolla since we also use it for our pizzagaina, aka pizza rustica or Easter pie.  
  • Where are the eggs? The best part of torta Pasquelina (after the taste) is the visual delight that is a slice with a crosssection of egg. To easily find the eggs, we cut vents where the eggs were.  You could also use Easter-shaped cookie cutters to cut out dough and place those shapes directly over the egg locations.

Slice of torta pasqualina in blue plate with fork.

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Torta Pasqualina

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Dough refrigerating time: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Torta Pasqualina is a savory Easter pie that's made with homemade pie crust filled with a creamy blend of spinach, chard, cheese, and eggs and baked until golden.

Ingredients 

For the dough

  • 3 1/2 cups (450grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 sticks (226 grams) cold butter cubed
  • 1/3 cup (80 grams) milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

For the filling

  • 1 bunch green swiss chard washed and finely chopped
  • 1 pound baby spinach
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 12 ounces ricotta drained overnight
  • 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 large eggs beaten

Remaining ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons water for egg wash
  • 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the pie dish
  • 1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar optional

Instructions 

For the dough

  • Add the flour, salt, and sugar to a bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix the ingredients. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse for about 20-30 seconds or until the mix is well incorporated but still crumbly. There should still be coarse pieces and a grainy mix.
  • Next, add the eggs and milk and pulse again until the dough is formed. It will be kind of a mess at this point which is fine.
  • Place the dough onto a work surface and knead for a few seconds only. You just want to bring the dough together so that it forms a rough mass. Cut into two balls. Make one large ball with 2/3's of the dough and the other smaller one with the remaining dough.
  • Wrap the balls tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using. The dough can be made 1 day ahead of time.

Make the filling

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the chard. Wait 4 minutes, then add the spinach. Cook for another 3 minutes then drain the greens in a large colander. Thoroughly squeeze out the excess water.
  • Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the olive oil and onion. Saute until soft (about 5 minutes) then add the greens and cook for another 5 minutes. Season the greens with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer the greens to a large mixing bowl and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, again squeeze out the excess water by pressing the greens in a colander or by tying and squeezing the greens in a clean kitchen cloth.
  • Mix in the ricotta, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg. Taste test and again season well with salt and pepper to taste. Once satisfied with the taste mix in 2 beaten eggs to form the filling. Set the filling aside and begin rolling out the pie crust.

Assemble and bake

  • Remove the dough from the fridge about 10-15 minutes before rolling to prevent it from cracking.
  • Preheat the oven to 375f and set one rack to the lowest level and the second to the middle level. Grease a (9 x3") springform pan with butter or lard.
  • Roll out the larger ball to a circle approximately a 1/4-inch thick and about 15 inches round. Place the dough into the springform pan and tuck in the edges letting the excess overhang. Leave about 1 inch of dough overhanging the edges and trim off the excess. Any open spots should be patched with the excess dough.
  • Pour the filling into the pie pan, but leave at least a 3/4-inch of space at the top of the pan.
  • Spoon out 5 holes in the filling to accommodate the eggs. Crack one egg into each of the holes.
  • Roll out the second smaller ball to a circle a bit larger than the pie pan and place it onto the top of the pie. Close the pie up with the excess dough around the edges by using a fork or pressing with your fingers.
  • Beat the egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water and brush the top of the pie crust. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar (optional) on top of the pie. Cut vent lines in the areas where the eggs were placed so that slices will have a crosssection of the egg.
  • Bake for 20 minutes on the lowest rack, then move the pan up to the middle rack and continue baking. Full bake time will be approximately 55-60 minutes. Check the pie at the halfway point and if it looks like it's getting too brown cover the top loosely with foil. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
  • After baking, let the pie cool for 45 minutes before removing the sides of the springform. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Makes 8 large servings.
  • After baking, let the pie cool for at least 45 minutes before removing the springform. 
  • Different greens can be used or just all spinach. 
  • It is very important to remove water from both the ricotta (drain overnight) and the greens (remove water after blanching and again after sauteeing). 
  • Leftovers can be saved for up 4 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 672kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.1g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 41.2g | Saturated Fat: 21.2g | Cholesterol: 271mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 873mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 2.6g | Calcium: 425mg | Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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