Italian Easter Pie Recipe
You might naturally assume that a holiday pie is by default a sweet dessert, but this Italian Easter pie recipe is a savory delight. "This is a very traditional recipe," explains Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone. "While some recipes include different types of meat or cheeses, they are all pretty similar to this one." We love experimentation but a classic dish deserves to be in the spotlight too.
Morone shares, "My favorite thing about this recipe is that it reminds me of a traditional Easter dinner with my Italian grandmother." She goes on to explain, "This is what she would serve every year at Easter, so I love making a recipe that honors her memory." Whether or not you have your own family dishes that come around on a yearly basis, you'll want to add this pie to the lineup. Staples like flour, butter, and eggs bring this cheese and meat-centric dish together, for a fluffy and loaded result.
Gather the ingredients for this Italian Easter pie
For this recipe you'll need all-purpose flour, cold butter (cubed), large eggs, kosher salt, and cold water. This three-cheese concoction consists of part-skim ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and freshly grated Parmesan. A bit of ground pepper adds a punch of flavor to season the filling. Finally, four types of meat play a leading role in the pie: smoked ham, Genoa salami, pepperoni, and prosciutto. Dice the ham, salami, and pepperoni before you begin.
Make the dough and let it chill
"I definitely suggest making pie dough in a food processor if possible," Morone comments, adding that it "makes everything much quicker and easier." That being said, if you don't have the appliance you can do it by hand. Morone warns that it's especially important to use cold butter and water, explaining that "if your ingredients aren't cold your pie dough won't end up as flaky and delicious as possible."
Add the flour, cold butter cubes, salt, and one egg to the bowl, then pulse to mix the ingredients together. When it looks like coarse sand, add 4 tablespoons of cold water and keep pulsing the mixture. Once it comes together into a dough, transfer it to a surface and shape it into a disc with your hands. Use plastic wrap to seal it well then chill it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Combine the cheese and meat mixture
While the dough is chilling, set out a large bowl and dump in the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and grated Parmesan. Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper on top, then crack four eggs into the bowl as well. Use a spatula or large spoon to stir everything until it's combined. Then, add the diced ham, salami, and pepperoni and mix to distribute the meat.
Roll out the dough and begin assembling the pie
After at least 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn your oven on to preheat at 350 F. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll out ⅔ of the dough into a round shape. You'll need to fit it into the base of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan, so make sure to measure accordingly.
Carefully lay the dough in the pie pan, lightly pressing down so that it sits against the sides of the dish. Next, layer the slices of prosciutto to cover the base. Then, add the cheese and meat filling, using a spatula to spread the top out evenly.
Place the rest of the dough on the lightly floured surface and roll it into a similar size and round shape. Layer it on top of the filling as you press in the center and along the sides of the pan. Pinch the edges of the dough together with your fingers or crimp them with a fork to seal the pie.
Brush the top with an egg wash and bake
Now, crack the last egg into a small bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to coat the pie crust with the egg wash. Finally, slice a small X-shape in the middle of the pie. This will give the steam somewhere to exit as the pie bakes.
The oven should be nice and hot by now, so transfer the pie dish to a rack and bake for 1 hour or until it turns a golden color.
Serve this Italian Easter pie once it has cooled
After you remove the pie from the oven, let it cool down a bit before cutting into it. You can serve it still slightly warm or at room temperature. As Morone points out, "This is really a whole meal in just one pie, so you don't necessarily need to serve anything with it." If you want to keep it simple, follow her advice and "serve it with a salad and some wine."
Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. When you're ready for another slice, Morone recommends reheating it "either in the microwave, or in the oven at 350 F for about 10 to 15 minutes until it is hot."
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 12 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 large eggs, divided
- 5 tablespoons cold water, divided
- 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 8 ounces smoked ham, diced
- 3 ounces Genoa salami, diced
- 6 ounces pepperoni, diced
- 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
- Add the flour, butter, salt, and 1 egg to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture is combined and resembles coarse sand.
- Add 4 tablespoons of cold water and continue pulsing until a dough forms.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and use your hands to form a disc.
- Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, black pepper, and 4 eggs, and stir until just mixed.
- Add the diced ham, salami, and pepperoni and mix until combined.
- Once the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350 F.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out ⅔ of the dough into a circle large enough to fit into the bottom of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.
- Transfer the rolled-out dough to the pie pan.
- Place a layer of prosciutto slices on the bottom of the pie dough.
- Spread the cheese and meat filling evenly over top.
- Roll out the remaining ⅓ of the pie dough into a circle.
- Place it over the filling and press lightly in the center and sides so that the contents touch the dough.
- Pinch the edges with your fingers to seal or use a fork to crimp them together.
- In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water together.
- Brush the egg wash over the pie crust and cut a small X in the center to allow steam to escape while it bakes.
- Bake the pie in the hot oven for 1 hour or until the pie crust is golden.
- Let the pie cool until it is slightly warm or at room temperature, then cut and serve.
| Calories per Serving | 303 |
| Total Fat | 20.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.0 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.4 g |
| Cholesterol | 111.3 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 13.0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.4 g |
| Total Sugars | 0.3 g |
| Sodium | 617.5 mg |
| Protein | 16.3 g |
