Italian Spinach Pie – Torta Pasqualina

italian spinach pie with egg inside or torta pasqualina sliced on a plate.

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Italian Spinach Pie – Torta Pasqualina

Italian spinach pie made with homemade dough and a simple spinach and egg filling. Easy for Easter or any time of year.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 15

Resting time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Stand mixer
Large pot
Bowls – 2 small, 1 medium, 1 large
Rolling Pin
springform 7-8 inches/ 18-20 cm, Note 1
Small brush

Ingredients

Dough (Note 2):

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup water + 1-2 tablespoons more if required

Spinach filling:

1 lb spinach
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons marjoram
1 slice white bread 1 oz/ 30 g weighed after removing the crust
¼ cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup ricotta Note 3
2 tablespoons Parmesan freshly grated

Spinach pie:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 oz butter
4 large eggs
fine sea salt and ground black pepper

US - EU

Instructions

Dough:

Make pie dough: Place the flour and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix briefly until crumbly. Add the water and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth. Add 1–2 more tablespoons of water only if the dough feels too dry; this depends on the flour. Turn the dough onto the work surface and knead by hand for another 2 minutes.
2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons olive oil + ½ cup water
Divide the dough into 6 (or 8 parts if you are feeling particularly motivated - Note 4). Place them on a floured kitchen towel and cover with a damp towel (not wet, just lightly damp).
Rest the dough for about 1 hour.
Make the filling right away, as the spinach needs time to cool before mixing it with the other ingredients.

Spinach filling:

Cook the spinach: Remove the large stems from the spinach. Wash it well in a colander and place it, still wet, into a large pot. Cover with a lid and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until wilted. If the pot is too small, cook in batches.
1 lb spinach
Cool spinach: Return the spinach to the colander and let it cool until you can handle it.
Squeeze the spinach well with your hands to remove excess water. Place it on a cutting board, chop it, then transfer it to a medium bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and marjoram and mix.
1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1 ½ teaspoons marjoram
Soak bread: Remove the crust from the bread and tear it into pieces. Place in a small bowl and cover with milk. Let it soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
1 slice white bread + ¼ cup milk
Filling: Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat it with a fork. Gently squeeze the soaked bread, add it to the bowl, and mix, mashing it with the fork. Add ricotta and Parmesan and mix well. Add the chopped spinach and fold everything together.
1 large egg + bread + 1 cup ricotta + 2 tablespoons Parmesan

Assemble the spinach pie:

Prepare springform: Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Brush the springform with oil, both the bottom and the sides. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Place some oil in a small bowl for brushing the dough.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Roll the dough layers: Place one dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a large circle, then gently stretch it further with your hands, as you would for strudel dough, until very thin. It should be large enough to cover the pan and extend over the edges, and thin enough that you can almost see your hand through it.
Line the springform with dough: Place the first sheet of dough into the prepared springform, letting it cover the sides and hang slightly over the edge. If it doesn’t fully cover the pan, don’t worry - just cover as much as possible and adjust with the next layer.
Brush the dough lightly with oil.
Repeat with another 2 pieces of dough (or 3 if you decided to make 4 layers), brushing each layer with oil, but leave the last one unbrushed.
Fill the pie: Add the spinach filling to the pan and smooth the surface. Make four small indentations with a spoon. Place a tiny piece of butter into each indentation.
Add eggs: Carefully crack one egg into each indentation. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
4 large eggs + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Cover the pie: Roll and stretch the remaining dough pieces one by one. Place them over the filling and brush each layer with oil, including the last one.
Finish the edges: Break the remaining butter into very small pieces and place them close together all around the edge of the pie. Fold the overhanging dough edges inward over the butter, rolling and pressing them lightly to seal the edge. Brush the top lightly with oil.
1 oz butter
Prick the top gently with a toothpick in several places, without going too deep, so you don’t pierce the eggs.
Bake the spinach pie for about 75 minutes until the filling is set and feels firm to the touch. If the top is getting too dark, cover loosely with foil – check after about 45 minutes.
Serve Italian pie: Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. Serve it warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Springform: You can use a 7 or 8-inch pan; the filling and the 4 eggs fit in both. A 7-inch pan is easier to line with dough, but the pie needs a few more minutes in the oven. I used an 8-inch pan this time; the pie was a bit flatter, but there was no other difference.
Shortcut with puff pastry: You can use about 1 lb/ 450 g puff pastry instead of homemade dough. Line the pan with one sheet, add the filling, then cover with another sheet and seal the edges. Prick the top lightly. The baking time will be similar, but start checking after 30–35 minutes, as puff pastry browns faster. Cover loosely with foil if it gets too dark.
Ricotta: Use firm ricotta. If it looks very wet, let it sit in a sieve for a short time before using. Otherwise, it can be used as is.
Number of layers: You can keep things easier by making 3 layers for the bottom and 3 for the top. In this case, the dough balls are slightly larger, which makes them easier to roll and stretch to the right size. If you want more of a challenge, divide the dough into 8 pieces and make 4 layers for the bottom and 4 for the top – this takes a bit more practice. Keep in mind that the top layers are easier to handle, as they don’t need to be rolled as large; once the filling is in the pan, they only need to cover the surface, not the full height of the sides.

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