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You are here: Home / Recipes / Breakfast / Italian Easter Pie (Pizza Rustica)

Italian Easter Pie (Pizza Rustica)

Published April 9, 2025 by Lauren Vavala Harris

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An Italian Easter Pie with a slice taken out to show the inside with text overlay.
A slice of Italian Easter Pie being held up on a pie server with text overlay.
A slice of Italian Easter Pie on a stack of small plates with the rest of the pie and a vase partially showing in the background with text overlay.
A close up of a slice of Italian Easter Pie being held up on a pie server with text overlay.
A slice of Italian Easter Pie on a stack of small plates with the rest of the pie and a vase partially showing in the background with text overlay.

Italian Easter Pie, also known as Pizza Rustica, is a traditional meal to serve during the holiday. It is made with a delicious combination of Italian cheeses, cured meats and eggs all wrapped up in a flaky pie crust.

A slice of Italian Easter Pie being held up on a pie server over the rest of the pie.

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Make Italian Easter Pie a new tradition for your family every year during the holiday. Pizza Rustica, as it is also known, is typically served during brunch or at noon for a savory lunch.

It is filled with a combination of salty, cured Italian meats, such as salami, ham and prosciutto, different types of Italian cheeses and eggs. You can make a homemade pie crust or use a store-bought one to save time.

An Easter Pie is somewhat similar to a frittata or quiche and can be served with other breakfast dishes like Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes or Sweet Potato Hash Browns.

Why This Recipe Works

Italian Easter Pie is a fairly quick and easy recipe to prepare, especially if you are using a store-bought pie crust. It’s as simply as mixing everything up and preparing the pie crust before baking.

It’s a tasty tradition that dates back to the 17th century.

This recipe is very adaptable. You can swap in and out a huge variety of different meats and cheeses to suit your own taste or to use up what you have on hand.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make an Italian Easter Pie on a light colored background with text overlay.

  • 5 eggs divided: you will use 4 eggs in the filling and 1 for an egg wash on the crust.
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese (whole milk)
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese (shredded)
  • 2 ounces Parmesan cheese
  • 4 ounces ham (diced)
  • 4 ounces pepperoni (diced)
  • 4 ounces genoa salami (diced)
  • 2 ounces prosciutto (diced)
  • 2 pie crusts (homemade or store-bought): ideally the pie crust should fit a deep dish pie pan or larger, 10-inch pie pan. If you use a store-bought deep-dish pie crust (as shown in the phot0), you will likely have a little extra filling.

Chef’s Tip: you can add a little salt and pepper if you’d like. The meats and cheeses tend to have a lot of seasoning, so you may find you don’t need to add much, if any at all.

The entire recipe and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can print the recipe from the card, if needed.

Prep!

If you are using store-bought frozen pie crusts, be sure to thaw them first. For homemade pie crusts, you will want to prepare those ahead of time.

Shred the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Dice the ham, pepperoni, salami and prosciutto.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Create!

Eggs and ricotta cheese mixed together in a glass bowl with a whisk in it over a light colored background.

Whisk the eggs and the ricotta cheese together in a large bowl until smooth and blended.

Italian Easter Pie filling in a glass bowl over a light colored background.

Stir in the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, ham, pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto.

A filled Easter pie without the top crust on it yet on a light colored background.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan or 9-inch springform pan with one of the pie crusts, ensuring the crust comes up the sides of the dish evenly. 

Spoon the filling into the pan until it is just under the edge of the pie crust. If you use a store-bought deep dish pie crust, you may not be able to fit all of the filling into the pie.

Egg wash being brushed over a top pie crust.

Top with a second pie crust, pinching the top and bottom crusts together.

Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl.

Brush onto the crust just enough to coat it lightly.

Cut several slits into the pie crust to allow it to vent while baking.

A baked Italian Easter Pie on a baking sheet.

Place the pie onto a baking sheet and bake for approximately 40-45 minutes,

Allow the pie to cool for at least an hour before serving.

Present!

A slice of Italian Easter Pie on a stack of small plates with the rest of the pie and a vase partially showing in the background.

Slice and serve. This pie can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Tips and Techniques

Different meats that can be swapped in include soppressata, mortadella, Italian sausage and capicola.

Some different cheeses to try are provolone and Parmesan cheese. Ricotta cheese is strongly recommended but could be swapped for mascarpone if absolutely necessary.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped for up to 3 days. Easter pie can be cut into slices and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.

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A slice of Italian Easter Pie on a stack of small plates with the rest of the pie and a vase partially showing in the background.
Print

Italian Easter Pie

Italian Easter Pie, also known as Pizza Rustica, is a traditional meal to serve during the holiday. It is made with a delicious combination of Italian cheeses, cured meats and eggs all wrapped up in a flaky pie crust.
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour hour
Total Time 2 hours hours
Servings 8 servings
Calories 632kcal
Author Lauren Harris

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs (divided, 4 for the filling and 1 for an egg wash)
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese (whole milk)
  • 8 ounces mozzarella cheese (shredded)
  • 2 ounces Parmesan cheese
  • 4 ounces ham (diced)
  • 4 ounces pepperoni (diced)
  • 4 ounces genoa salami (diced)
  • 2 ounces prosciutto (diced)
  • 2 pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Whisk 4 of the eggs and the ricotta cheese together in a large bowl until smooth and blended.
    5 eggs, 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • Stir in the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, ham, pepperoni, salami, and prosciutto.
    8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, 4 ounces ham, 4 ounces pepperoni, 4 ounces genoa salami, 2 ounces prosciutto
  • Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan or 9-inch springform pan with one of the pie crusts, ensuring the crust comes up the sides of the dish evenly.
    2 pie crusts
  • Spoon the filling into the pan until it is just under the edge of the pie crust. If you use a store-bought deep dish pie crust, you may not be able to fit all of the filling into the pie.
  • Top with a second pie crust, pinching the top and bottom crusts together.
    2 pie crusts
  • Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl.
    5 eggs
  • Brush onto the crust just enough to coat it lightly.
  • Cut several slits into the pie crust to allow it to vent while baking.
  • Place the pie onto a baking sheet and bake for approximately 40-45 minutes,
  • Allow the pie to cool for at least an hour before serving.
  • Slice and serve. This pie can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Notes

Tips and Techniques

  • Different meats that can be swapped in include soppressata, mortadella, Italian sausage and capicola.
  • Some different cheeses to try are provolone and Parmesan cheese. Ricotta cheese is strongly recommended but could be swapped for mascarpone if absolutely necessary.
  • Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped for up to 3 days. Easter pie can be cut into slices and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
** Nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 1308mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Calcium: 366mg | Iron: 2mg

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Welcome, I'm Lauren!

Delicious Little Bites is where I share all types of recipes from appetizers to desserts. You will also find plenty of keto, gluten free, and vegetarian recipes here to help you put a delicious meal on the table every night that the whole family will love! Read More...

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