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This traditional Italian pizza rustica recipe has a savory and flavorful ricotta filling baked inside an all-butter pie crust. The traditional Easter dish is baked in a springform pan, which gives it the look of a deep dish pizza.
This pizza rustica is an authentic Italian Easter pie! The flaky all-butter pie crust is filled with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and a variety of cured meats. The flavors meld together perfectly while baking for a delicious Easter morning treat you will want all year round.
I have a great love for authentic Italian cooking and baking. If you share that love, I suggest you try my real Italian meatballs. Then, for dessert, try my pignoli cookies or these soft amaretti cookies. For more Italian holiday traditions, be sure to make this panettone bread recipe.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Pizza Rustica Recipe
- Authentic and traditional. This recipe was developed in an Italian restaurant where I was the executive pastry chef. I spent years perfecting this pizza rustica to have the best flavor and texture.
- Perfectly seasoned filling. From the fresh herbs to the lemon zest and red pepper flakes, everything is perfectly balanced in this Easter Pie.
- Impressive, delicious, and easy-to-follow instructions. This double-crust savory pie is truly show-stopping. I will give you all my tips and tricks to make the process a breeze!
Professional Tips for Making Pizza Rustica
- Adjust the spice to your tolerance. Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your spice tolerance. If you want the only spice to come from spicy sausage, then omit the red pepper flakes.
- Allow the pastry dough to sit out for a few minutes before lining the springform pan. You want to ensure the dough is cold but pliable before lining the pan so it doesn’t crack. This ensures a seamless lining and sharp edges.
- Let the pizza rustica chill overnight. It is easier to get pretty slices of the pie when it is chilled. I used to bake them the day before, cool them completely at room temperature, then wrap and refrigerate overnight. I’d slice them cold and let them come to room temperature. Otherwise, you risk having a hot mess.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pâte Brisée: Make a 2 x batch of this all-butter pie crust recipe or vodka pie crust. This will give you enough dough for “4” single crust pies. The springform pan is larger than you imagine, and it’s better to have extra dough than not enough! You can always make pie crust cookies with the scraps or use them to decorate the top of your next pie by cutting, freezing flat, and then putting them in a zip-top bag in the freezer.
- Ricotta: I recommend using whole milk ricotta in this recipe. The recipe uses 2 pounds or 2,15 oz containers of whole milk ricotta. Don’t stress about that missing 2 ounces if that is all you can find!
- Fresh Mozzarella: Shred your own mozzarella cheese for the best melt and texture. Pre-grated cheeses have anticaking agents that can prevent them from melting fully. You will achieve a much better texture with the cheese you grate yourself.
- Large eggs: The egg’s only job here is to act as a binder. It holds everything together.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Follow my recipe on how to hard boil an egg!
- Cured Meat: The mix of cured meats really impacts the saltiness and spiciness of the dish. Choose a variety of soppressata, salami, and salame. Just try to keep the spicy versus sweet to 1/3 spicy and 2/3 sweet otherwise, you will end up with an overly spicy pizza rustica!
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper: Black pepper is optional but has a nice complementary flavor. I typically buy black pepper in a pepper mill, or I buy the whole kernels to refill my pepper grinder. Fresh black pepper tastes utterly different from pre-ground.
- Fresh Basil: Using fresh basil is key here. It’s much more flavorful than dried basil, with an earthy, fragrant, somewhat sweet taste. Dried can be substituted if need be.
- Fresh Oregano: Fresh oregano is a classic flavor in Italian cooking, it adds a peppery, herbaceous flavor.
- Lemon Zest
- Red Pepper Flakes: Add red pepper flakes for a hint of heat! The flakes are optional. You can rely on the spice only from your cured meats if you desire.
- Egg, for egg wash
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Add some greens. Sauté kale, spinach, collard greens, or Swiss chard and add it to the filling. Or make a chopped kale salad and serve it on the side!
- Change the meat and cheese. You can switch out all or some of the mozzarella with parmesan cheese, caciocavallo, or provolone. Interchange the meat with capicola, prosciutto, Virginia ham or Italian sausage.
- Make with pizza dough. Make a double batch of my sourdough pizza dough recipe and use it in place of the pie dough.
How to Make Pizza Rustica
Use these instructions to make this festive pizza rustica! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Make Pizza Rustica:
Step 1: Make a double batch of either my all-butter pie crust recipe or vodka pie crust recipe.
Step 2: Divide the pastry dough into two unequal portions, approximately 2:1 (1/3 for the top and 2/3 for the bottom/sides). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Step 3: When you are ready to assemble the pizza, roll out each section of dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate between parchment paper for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: Let the larger piece of dough warm up slightly, then line a springform pan with pastry dough. Make sure the sides overlap ½ inch. You can cut off any pieces of excess dough for decorations.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling together and spoon into the lined pan.
You can always add all the ingredients except the beaten eggs, taste for seasoning, adjust, and then stir in the eggs. Just remember that the spice will enhance over time.
Step 6: Smooth the top of the filling with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula.
Step 7: If desired, cut out decorative vents on the remaining small pastry. Then, place the smaller round of pastry on top of the filling.
Step 8: Take the lower and upper pieces of dough, pinch and roll them inwards toward the top of the pizza rustica.
Roll and press the dough together tightly to prevent the dough from unrolling while baking. I like to use my finger to crimp the dough as extra insurance, and it is aesthetically pleasing.
Step 9: Chill the entire pizza while you make any desired decorations.
Step 10: In a small mixing bowl, beat the last egg for egg wash. Brush the top of the pizza rustica with beaten egg and use the egg wash to add any pie dough decorations you made. I love to layer them and get creative! Use braids, twists, and cut outs to enhance the top.
Step 11: Chill the whole dish for 30 minutes to an hour.
Step 12: Preheat the oven to 350°F convection (with fan) or 375°F conventional (no fan)
Step 13: Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Be sure the top is a nice golden brown – no one likes raw pie dough. Serve at room temperature.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
The spiciness increases as the ricotta mixture sits and bakes. Simply testing the mixture for spiciness when mixing is good, but just expect an amplification in the final product.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the baked, cooled pizza rustica well wrapped at room temperature for 3 days, in the refrigerator for a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to reheat the pizza rustica, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake until the center is warm.
Pizza rustica, also known as torta rustica, pizza chiena or pizza ripiena, is from southern Italy. It dates back to the 17th century in the Naples region of Italy and was used to celebrate the end of Lent and the arrival of spring.
Bake the pie until a cake tester comes out clean and the top of the crust is a nice golden brown color.
Serve your pizza rustica at room temperature by itself or with a simple salad on the side. You can also serve it with my rosemary lemon roasted cauliflower or this big Italian salad!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Pizza Rustica
Ingredients
- 2 crusts pâte brisée 2 x this all-butter pie crust recipe
- 30 ounces ricotta or 2, 15 oz containers
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella smashed
- 6 large eggs well beaten, for filling
- 3 hard boiled eggs chopped
- 3/4 pound cured meat paper or casings removed and diced
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh oregano finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- Make a double batch of either my all-butter pie crust recipe or vodka pie crust recipe.
- Divide the pastry dough into two unequal portions, approximately 2:1 (1/3 for the top and 2/3 for the bottom/sides). Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
- When you are ready to assemble the pizza, roll out each section of dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate between parchment paper for at least 30 minutes.
- Let the larger piece of dough warm up slightly, then line a springform pan with pastry dough. Make sure the sides overlap ½ inch. You can cut off any pieces of excess dough for decorations.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling together and spoon into the lined pan.
- Smooth the top of the filling with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula.
- If desired, cut out decorative vents on the remaining small pastry. Then, place the smaller round of pastry on top of the filling.
- Take the lower and upper pieces of dough, pinch and roll them inwards toward the top of the pizza rustica.
- Chill the entire pizza while you make any desired decorations.
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the last egg for egg wash. Brush the top of the pizza rustica with beaten egg and use the egg wash to add any pie dough decorations you made. I love to layer them and get creative! Use braids, twists, and cut outs to enhance the top.
- Chill the whole dish for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F convection (with fan) or 375°F conventional (no fan)
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Be sure the top is a nice golden brown – no one likes raw pie dough. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef recipe. Check out other delicious pie and tart recipes like this easy key lime pie or the rich French silk pie!
