torta pasqualina

This spinach pie is quick to make, super delicious and can be served as both lunch or dinner.

Vegan Spinach Pie with Ricotta

butter

onions (thinly sliced)

garlic

spinach leaves (((28 oz)))

salt

tsp nutmeg

ml vegan cream (((⅖ cup)))

breadcrumbs (((3½ oz)))

ricotta (((12½ oz)))

vegan puff pastry sheets

vegan cream

thyme

flakes

Preheat oven to 190 °C (370 °F).

Heat 50 g (1¾ oz) butter in a large pan. Add onion and garlic and sauté until caramelized (5-10 minutes). Then stir in spinach, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Heat the remaining butter in another pan. Add the breadcrumbs and sauté until golden brown. Season with a pinch of salt if necessary. Set aside.

Cover the bottom and sides of a pie form (Ø 21 cm, 8&#39;&#39;) with baking paper. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry and place it in the form so that it covers the bottom and sides of it.

Add in the breadcrumbs and make an even layer. Top it with the spinach and finally with a layer of ricotta. Cover the ricotta layer with the second sheet of puff pastry, cut off the excess dough and press the edges together.

Brush the pie with cream and top with salt flakes and fresh thyme. Bake for 35 minutes at 190 °C (370 °F).

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/OSPjA9gc.mp4

This video shows how to make a vegan spinach pie with almond ricotta. This recipe is plant-based, packed with nutrients and delicious.

Italian Easter Spinach Pie, also known as la Torta Pasqualina, is a savory spinach ricotta pie flavored with pecorino cheese, green onions, nutmeg and a hint of garlic with whole eggs baked in a buttery puff pastry crust. It’s traditionally enjoyed in Italian households around Easter time–on Easter Sunday with leftovers often enjoyed as a lovely picnic food on Easter Monday/Pasquetta.

Easy Italian Easter Spinach Pie ~ Torta Pasqualina

whole milk ricotta cheese

Pecorino Romano cheese ((See Notes.))

onions

garlic powder ((See Notes.))

nutmeg

¼ tsp ground black pepper

eggs, (divided)

puff pastry dough, (thawed (see Notes.))

All-purpose flour ((for rolling out dough))

Butter (for greasing pan)

salt and black pepper

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat oven to 350℉. Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Make sure the puff pastry is thawed, but hold it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Put the ricotta in a strainer or fine mesh sieve propped over a bowl and let it drain out excess liquid for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature. (You can line it with cheesecloth if you have it.) Discard the liquid and transfer the strained ricotta to a large bowl and set aside. Beat 2 of the eggs. Make sure all excess liquid is squeezed out of the thawed spinach.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)

Make the Spinach Ricotta Filling: Combine the spinach, ricotta and pecorino cheeses, green onions and spices in a large bowl and mix well.

Then, fold in the 2 beaten eggs and stir until well-combined. Set this mixture aside.

Next, take the puff pastry out of the refrigerator and place one sheet on a lightly floured surface. Dust a rolling pin lightly with flour. Then, roll the dough out gently as needed with rolling pin until it is large enough to cut a 9” diameter circle out of it. Then, turn the springform pan upside down and use it to trace a circle to be used for the top of the torta pasqualina. (See photos above.) Use shears or a butter knife to cut the circle out.

Transfer this dough circle to a piece of parchment paper and place four slits in it with a knife (and any other design of your choice), as seen in the photo above. These slits will allow steam to be released from the pie during the baking process and will also be used to indicate where the whole eggs were placed.

Next, grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan with butter and set aside.

Place the second sheet of puff pastry on the lightly floured surface and gently roll it out until it’s large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.

Carefully transfer the dough to the pan and press gently as needed so that it hugs all corners of the pan. Use extra/random pieces of dough to patch holes if needed. This is a rustic pie so there’s no need to be very precise. Let excess dough just hang over the sides at this point.

Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork in several places.

Then, fill the dough/pan with the reserved spinach ricotta mixture and spread it out evenly. Make sure the filling is spread evenly into the corners of the pan.

Use the back of a spoon to make four deep indentations in the spinach mixture as shown in the photo above. Each cavity should be large enough to hold one of the eggs.

Carefully crack 4 of the remaining eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl, taking care to not break the yolk. Cracking the eggs in a bowl first ensures that you do not put any broken eggs into the pie. If you do happen to break the yolk of one of the eggs, use it for another purpose and get a new egg for this pie.Place each whole egg into the cavity, one at a time, then sprinkle each egg lightly with salt and black pepper.

Carefully place the reserved dough circle on top, making sure to line up each slit in the center of each whole egg. (See Notes.)

Trim off excess dough with a knife or kitchen shears, then fold the dough sides over the top and press pastry edges to seal, as shown in the photo above.

At this point, if you have not already done so, make a few slits into the top dough layer to let steam escape while baking. Take care not to puncture the eggs. (It’s best to do this before the top dough layer is placed on the pie.)

Beat the last egg with 1 Tbsp water until frothy to make an egg wash. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin even layer of this egg wash all over the surface of the pie/top dough layer. Be sure to get into all the nooks and crannies and be careful not to let egg wash pool on the surface or at the base of the pan. If this happens, use a paper towel to gently absorb the excess.NOTE: The entire egg wash will not be used.

Place the pie on a rack in the lower third of a 350℉ preheated oven and set the timer for 50 minutes. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and puffed and the filling is firm. I do use a very fine metal skewer to check the doneness of the pie (same as testing a cake) and I recommend doing that if you’re unsure. A small toothpick will also work.(If the crust is getting too brown during the baking process, reduce the oven temperature to 325℉ and cook it a bit longer.)NOTE that the baking time is an approximation as all ovens vary. The pie took exactly 60 minutes in my electric oven, but may take less or more time in your oven.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool it at room temperature for about 30 minutes or so before releasing it from the springform pan. Enjoy torta pasqualina at room temperature, chilled or warmed up–as you please! It is traditionally served on Easter morning or as an appetizer for Easter brunch. Buon Appetito!

I make it every Easter and everyone enjoys it! The leftovers are perfect on Easter Monday and during the week as well.

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Easy Italian Easter Spinach Pie ~ T...

Top 2 torta pasqualina recipes from across the web

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Vegan Spinach Pie with Ricotta

Easy Italian Easter Spinach Pie ~ T...

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