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Italian Easter Pie
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5 from 2 votes

Italian Easter Pie

Do as the Italians do for Easter and make this beautiful Italian Easter Pie! It's filled with a plethora of meat and cheese. This is a hearty and savory pie! 
Author Heather Blake

Ingredients

For The Pie Crust

  • 2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
  • 2 sticks cold butter cut into cubes
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons ice water

For the Meat Filling

  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
  • 8 ounces cubed pepperoni Have the deli counter cut a large slice
  • 1 cup diced onions
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 10 ounces spinach

For the Ricotta Cheese Filling

  • 16 ounces Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup either grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
  • Pinch of salt and pepper

Additional Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

For the Pastry Dough

  • Blend the flour, butter, salt, pepper and, Italian seasoning in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add the eggs. With the machine running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Make 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at 30 minutes until the dough is firm enough to roll out. This can be made the night before and refrigerated until you are ready to make the pie. 

For the Meat Filling

  • In a large 12 inch skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, onions, garlic, salt, pepper and, chili flake. Cook until the sausage is cooked through. Add the spinach and continue to cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and add the pepperoni. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the pie. 

For the Ricotta Cheese Filling

  • In a large bowl stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and, nutmeg until well combined. Set aside. 

To Assemble the Pie

  • When ready to make the pie, Roll out the larger piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan which you will need to spray liberally with cooking spray. Spoon a layer of the meat mixture then a layer of the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Alternate layers until all the fillings are in the pie. Top the meat/ricotta mixture with torn pieces of mozzarella cheese. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Crimp the edges of the dough together to seal.  Brush the pie with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Bake in a 400-degree oven until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.
  • Let the pie sit for an hour or so before releasing the springform pan. Transfer to a platter and serve.