Easter Pie is a rich, meat-and-cheese-filled Italian dish traditionally served on Easter. As the center of Catholicism, Italy takes the season of Lent seriously, so even lapsed Italian Catholics often still “give up” something for the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Traditionally, delicious Italian meats and sweets were on the chopping block, though fish and eggs were acceptable.

No matter how one chooses to practice Lent, if at all, there’s no denying this indulgent double-crusted pie is the perfect way to end any fast, diet, or time of scarcity. Nothing says rich and indulgent like a variety of Italian meats and cheeses tucked in between two layers of flaky pie crust. In Italy, this classic savory pie is so popular, it’s not just reserved for Easter. Many families make it throughout the year. Try adding it to your repertoire for Easter—or anytime!

HOW TO MAKE EASTER PIE

Our Easter Pie recipe uses a few shortcuts to deliver the classic flavors of the original with much less time and effort. Here’s a peek at how we make it. You can see the full list of ingredients and instructions below.

Mix the Filling

To make the base of this recipe, mix eggs and cheeses.

While traditional Italian Easter Pie uses a type of cheese called basket cheese in addition to the ricotta and other cheeses, we skipped that ingredient as it can be difficult to find unless you’re close to an Italian grocery store just before Easter. We prefer whole milk ricotta for its luxurious texture, and we chose the easy bagged blend of shredded mozzarella and provolone cheeses for simplicity. You can decide whether to grate your own Parmesan cheese or opt for the pre-grated Parmesan cheese in the shaker container. (We don’t think anyone will know the difference.)

Add the Meats

Stir the meats into the egg and cheese mixture.

An authentic Easter meat pie calls for diced Italian deli meats, but sliced versions of salami, prosciutto, and pepperoni are readily available in most grocery stores. We’re calling for those and chopping them up for this simplified recipe.

Pillsbury