This meat pie is a winner every Easter. Stuffed full of ham, salami, and prosciutto, as well as ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, this pie really satisfies!
This recipe has been revised to include the two missing pie crusts. The recipe calls for 4 pie crusts total.
Read MoreNot bad! I halved the recipe with no problems. From the start, it seemed to need a little spice. So I sauteed an onion, 2 garlic cloves and one jalapeno. I used one pound ground turkey instead of all that pork, to which I added the onion, garlic, pepper mix. To the cheese mixture, I added italian seasoning, cumin and paprika. I mixed the meat mixture with the cheese as per the recipe. But I made it crustless, so I just put it all into one 9 x 13 lasagne pan, sprinkled the parmesan, and then baked it as instructed. It came out as a very pretty meat pie. Thanks!
Read MoreThis recipe has been revised to include the two missing pie crusts. The recipe calls for 4 pie crusts total.
Excellent. Word of advice...do NOT add onions and garlic. Also, mozzarella cheese is not authentic in this recipe. Do not use bacon instead of prosciutto
This is it! This is the recipe my Nonna used to make. I can't wait to make it for my family. The only difference is that Nonna's pie was made in a square pyrex glass baking dish and she made a lattice top using a zig-zag style ravioli cutter to make the strips. Thanks so much for bringing back a little bit of family history to our table.
I loved this recipe. I halved the recipe and used a springform pan and it looked beautiful and tasted wonderful. I also left off the top crust as someone else suggested and it turned out great. It will be on my list for favorite Easter recips. Thanks for sharing!
Maybe this last year for Easter, I will be making it again this year. It was wonderful! My Italian husband and both of our families loved it. My mother in law said it was the best she'd ever had, inculding hers! I almost fell off my chair. Highly recommened.
This was my first attempt at making an Easter meat pie. I have had several others that friends have made. THis was a little lighter than theirs, and I liked it better. The only change I made was I left off the top crust, and baked till the chese was a golden color. Absolutely perfect!! Thanks
I have been researching Italian Easter Meat Pie since I saw it being made by the Cake Boss and his family! It looked soooo goood! I have read many recipes and learned how many different versions there are. I used this one as a basis. I halfed the recipe for 2 with lots of leftovers! I used a bottom crust only and that was a pizza dough placed in my Pampered Chef stone deep dish pie pan, prebaked for 5 minutes. I used 15 oz of riccotta, 3 eggs, 1/2 lb. cappacola, 1/4 lb. hard salami, a big handful of pepperoni, chopped, 4 hard cooked eggs, chopped, 1 cup mozzarela cheese, 1/4 lb. provalone and a good shake or 2 of parmesan cheese, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. This was so good and it will become an Easter weekend tradition for us, even though i am Irish!! I served this with a Cesar Salad.
Not bad! I halved the recipe with no problems. From the start, it seemed to need a little spice. So I sauteed an onion, 2 garlic cloves and one jalapeno. I used one pound ground turkey instead of all that pork, to which I added the onion, garlic, pepper mix. To the cheese mixture, I added italian seasoning, cumin and paprika. I mixed the meat mixture with the cheese as per the recipe. But I made it crustless, so I just put it all into one 9 x 13 lasagne pan, sprinkled the parmesan, and then baked it as instructed. It came out as a very pretty meat pie. Thanks!
Very nice recipe. My family calls this Pizza Rustica and if you go to the Italian bakery or deli, that is what it is called there too. For those who said this was rich & salty, it is due to the fact of all of the cured meats and cheeses. So a small piece will do. Use low salt ham if possible. I also use another cured meat which is called sopressata, and a small amount of provalone cheese diced small. The pie usually has a mix of 7 meats and cheeses, just like Christmas Eve's Feast of the Seven Fishes.
My husband is Italian. His aunt used to make this, except that she used pizza dough instead of a pie shell. I used the pizza dough with this recipe and my husband said it was as good as his Aunts! Everyone loved it!
This is the authentic Italian PizzaGaina that I remember from my Sicilian Grandmother with one small exception... Hers was made with pizza dough instead of pie crust and was baked in a springform pan. Oherwise, the taste of the filling is an exact duplication of her old-world recipe! PizzaGaina is made for Easter in southern Italy. This dish takes on different forms and names depending on where you’re from. It’s also known as Pizza Rustica and Italian Meat Pie. This is an integral part of an Italian Easter tradition!!
Absolutely delicious! I served this at Easter brunch with hot sauce and salsa for guests to top the pies with. I didn't use a top crust because it looks more beautiful with a top of golden brown cheese. Use low-fat/lean meats! This has so much flavor you won't miss the fat and it won't be so greasy.
Haven't eaten it yet since I have made it for Easter Sunday-I will let you know. One thing to note that is important. If you don't read the whole recipe and just write down ingredients (like I did) you will be 2 pie crusts short after you fill the crusts. It states 2-9 inch crusts. You will need 4 for this recipe. It never mentioned making it ahead of time and serving ideas. Serve warm or cold???
A great family recipe that has been passed down to the 5th generation of our family. It is made usually on Good Friday (so there is no temptation to eat all the delicious cold cuts before they get into the pie). We have it on Saturday for Brunch (our family tradition) and the leftovers are served along side Easter Dinner on Sunday. If you prefer a meater and denser meat pie add extra meat and omit a few eggs. WE use garlic powder & parsley and add more meat; 1/4 lb. sopressatta, 1/4 lb ham capicola, 1/4 pepperoni. We also use 3/4 eggs. Either way it's a winner!!!
I've been looking for a simple recipe to make this for years. I used 2 different kinds of salami, Genoa and soppresatta. Next time I might add some provolone and reduce the mozzarella. Also, I bought sliced salami and prosciutto. Next time, I might have the deli slice it a bit thicker for me. Has anyone used an egg wash on the top crust?
My mother got a similar recipe from her mother, and my sister and I got it from our mom. My two nephews and four daughters also make this every easter - even though some of them are doing it in dorm kitchens. I add 6 or 7 hard cooked eggs chopped fine (with a potato masher) and use 1/2 lb pepperoni and 1/2 lb hard salami and 1 lb whole milk mozzerella in 1/4 in dice to 2 raw eggs and 2 lbs ricotta. Salting it to taste before cooking goes a long way to making it flavorful. As another person said, the pepperoni gives it a pop.
A great new dish in our house! (Especially, considering we live on a farm with 30 hens.) It was a new twist with familiar ingredients. I followed to the letter including the top crust. It tastes excellent with or without the extra crust. I used the Basic Flaky Pie Crust from this site.
Pretty good. I used pizza dough since I didn't have pie crust. My family didn't care for it, I won't make it again.
I am so glad I found this recipe, it is just like the pie I remember my Grandma making. It was always served room temperature. Thank you so much for sharing!
My husband made this and it was wonderful! He did have to cook it longer than the stated time in order to get the crust to brown.
I used low salt ham for this, as well as adding a small, finely chopped onion to the meat & egg mixture. Incredibly delicious, I'll be making it again soon!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made it for Easter and it was incredible. The recipe was easy to follow. My family really enjoyed it and my Uncle Joe said it was the best he has ever had. What a great compliment.... This is a keeper and it something that will be made during the year as a treat... Life is to short to only have it once a year..
I'm Italian-American, and we've been making this meat pie in my family every Easter for as long as I can remember. We use basically the same recipe as this one (with eggs, ricotta, mozarella, ham), except that we omit the Parmesan cheese, and use cooked, crumbled Italian sausage in place of the salami and prosciutto. It just wouldn't be Easter without this pie!
Wow, my family has been making this for generations, but I never met anyone else who knew about it. The principle is simple three meats and three cheeses.If your low on funds use bacon pepperoni and ham - always boiled ham never glazed of any kind. If you can afford it used proscuitto, capacola and caprise...we always make it in aloaf, like a calzone a stuffed bread and we add parsley, like a cup of fresh not a teaspoon of dry. Its good Friday and I am off to the market for ingredients. Happy cooking,
This turned out great. I had to halve the recipe I did not realize it was for 2 pies. The texture, look and oh man the taste were great. Next time I may add some spinach or broccoli or maybe cauliflower to make it into a meal in one dish thing. I was surprised that it was so tasty with out any spices. I will definitely make this again.
This was way too salty & also my husband had to run & get 2 more pie shells because there was way too much filling & we even cut down some of the lunch meat. Will not be making this again!
This comes very close to the pizzagena of my memories!I did leave off the top crust, as that is the way we always had it. Yes, it IS salty, but what better excuse to enjoy an icy cold glass of Prosecco? Delicious!
This was ok, but nothing really outstanding. I wish I'd used regular bacon instead of prosciutto - it was a bit of a waste as you couldn't really taste it, plus it made the filling rather salty. This would have been good with some onion, mushrooms and a little garlic; also some extra-sharp Cheddar in addition to the Parmesan. I'm glad I tried it but I can't imagine I'll be making it again. Thanks anyway.
This was served as a main dish at my Easter Brunch. I compiled the filling the night before, stored it in the fridge overnight, then assembled it right after church and it was ready in about an hour. I felt it needed some color, because it was pretty monochromatic. So, I added some italian herb seasoning mix. It was very good, and filling. However, it was a bit soggy on the bottom. I'll probably pre-bake the bottom crust next time and skip the top crust.
I was looking for something to do with left over ham and found this delicious recipe. It was a hit sans salami & prosciutto - imagine adding those would only make it better! This was my first attempt at making a meat pie and this recipe seems like a solid foundation for endless variations. Thanks Pamster!
This is a great recipe! I throw all the meats into my food processor instead of chopping! Recipe is good as is, but I add black pepper and 2 chopped hard boiled eggs to the filling. Delish!
I scaled the recipe to make only one pie. I thought the flavors were great, but my family thought it was too dry and too salty.
This recipe was delicious-better than my italian mother-in-laws
This was good, but I wasn't crazy about the salami. The texture and saltiness didn't favor the overall recipe. It's important to note that it makes two pies, which is a LOT of food. If you have a smaller family, you may want to consider either halving the recipe, or perhaps try freezing one to cook at a later date. No idea if it freezes well, but two full pies is too much for the average family of four.
Very tasty. Good for the meat lovers in your family. A bit on the salty side. It is definitely a rich dish.
I"m rating on the ingredients only - I've checked all my usual recipes site and could not find any recipes for Pizzagaina so I tried looking for Italian Easter Pie and I finally found what I was looking for in this Easter Meat Pie. I agree with another individual, by adding onions, garlic or even mushrooms or peppers you no longer have Pizzagaina or aka Italian Easter Pie you have your own recipe for something else. Not that that's a bad thing at all. I also like to experiment.
Excellent! Is now an staple dish for Easter. Update: This year I had to work on Easter (tax deadline 2 days later dang it!). The family was so disappointed that I'm making it tonight to make up for my/its absence. Don't change the recipe! I like to top mine with marinara sauce but I serve on the side for the purists!
This is an excellent recipe. Made it for our annual Port and Pie Party and everyone loved it. Thanks so much for sharing.
It's really called Pizza Rustica. My mother called it Pizza Jane I make it a lot, not just at Easter you can add dry sausage (sopressata) and pepperoni you will not believe the wonderful flavors when you taste this pie. it tastes great warm or cold I am Italian but you don't have to be Italian to love it
5 stars overall! My Italian father-in-law missed his traditional easter with "ham pie" so I made this as a surprise. He hasn't tried it yet, but the rest of the family LOVED it! Thanks for sharing!
My husband isn't a big breaskfast fan (poor guy) but he said this was perfect. I love breakfast and I agree. I'll try it again with just one crust to save the calories. I worried a little because there is no spice in this dish but it was perfect as is.
Wow, this is delicious! I knew my boys would like this because they love meat- any kind! I lightened it a bit by using light ricotta and replaced turkey pepperoni for the salami. My husband couldn't get enough of it!
Very Very Good! My Italian husband loves it. He has made it on his own a few time now. It's our new family tradition.
Thank you for posting this recipe. It was one of my favorites as a child. My mother said it was even better than hers and asked me to send it to her sister (that is a rave!). I did try a variation, I used cooked, crumbled sweet italian sausage instead of salami and prosiutto. My girls loved it too - it is now a family favorite and not just for Easter.
I loved this Meat Pie recipe. I don't do a lot of cooking so I always look for easy but delicious receipts. I pre-tested it last night and it was great. I did one with a pastry top and one without. They were both great. Two different tastes. It is a definitely keeper. I will make both variations for Easter. Thanks again.
Outstanding!!!!! This is such an unbelievably easy recipe that leaves you wishing it lastest longer!! I shared it with women at work and they too made this with a few modifications that simply improved an already wonderful recipe. Some added spinach, while others added peppers and garlic powder with onions! AHHHHH and MMMMM... Will definitely be a family keeper!!!
This recipe turned out well but I just felt that something was missing...possibly some onions or maybe mushrooms. I guess, strictly speaking, it is exactly what it says that it is...a meat pie. The family thought it was okay but it was not, in my opinion, a really outstanding recipe. Clark's Quiche (found on this site) is still our favorite when we want a main course pie.
I followed the recipe exactly. Both my husband and I found it to be salty but not bad tasting. We also didn't find the mix of meats to be anything special. If I do anything like this again, I might use just ham. Or find a good egg bake recipe.
I've never made an Easter meat pie. It was delicious! A bit salty but very tasty!! I'll definitely make this again.
This pie is outstanding. Had it two years ago. I substituted one of the meats for another. Loved it. Big hit at daughter's dinner.
excellent,we loved it. Maria
We all enjoyed this. To make things easier I tried, for the first time, using the Pillsbury ready made fold out crusts (I've never used a store bought crust before). These are very easy to use and save time but lack the flavor of my own crust. There's plenty of dough ,so with the extra I cut out Easter shapes using cookie cutters and placed on top of the pies. I served this with fresh asparagras.
Great different idea for any brunch, lunch, or dinner. Adults loved it!! Kids - no so much. Thanks!
This Easter pie was delicious and received MANY compliments! My husband and I have been eating the leftovers each day this week and have been pleased with how good it tastes reheated. I thought the filling was easy to make and the directions were easy to follow. I am interested which pastry crust recipe PAMSTER2 uses as the one I used was really hard to work with. Great recipe! Thanks!~
Delicious! I made these for Easter & they were just like my Italian Grandmother used to make. There were only 2 things I did differently: I used 9 inch round casserole pans because they are deeper than a regular pie pan. I also omitted the pie crust on the top. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Now my kids can enjoy the same Easter Pie I did growing up.
Yeah, this was a big hit and a delicious treat that I served around noon as lunch prior to the big dinner about 4-5 hours later.
my grandma revised this pie recipe into a bread and oh is it good substitute the pie crusts with a basic italian bread dough
This is like the 4th or more years I've used this recipe. It great and very authentic and almost like my mom used to make. May a a bit better. Instead of chopped meat she used sliced meat. It was good but the meat would sink to the bottom and the eggs would all be on top. I do add pepperoni to make mine and still use the same amount of the other meats. I like a meaty pie. I also add an extra two eggs just because I like it fluffy. I also make mine in a rectangular glass dish. I also freeze 1/2 for a delicious treat a few months down the line.
Delicious, rich pie! Almost quiche-like, but with a top crust. This went a long way, as it makes two pies. Very nice.
This recipe is delicious! The only changes I made was I added pepperoni instead of ham and I only used a bottom crust. Will be making it again.
This recipe was awesome!!!It was a big hit this Easter in our home..Thank you soooo much!
My family makes this pie every Easter but we lessen the amount of meat & add Basket Cheese, cubed. You can get it in an Italian market. It adds a firmness to the pie. Also making a crust (top & bottom) of flour, salt, oil & water. it. Hope you like it. PS it freezes well.
This was a huge success! I did add a number of chopped up vegetables (broccoli, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms) to give it more substance and made one with no meat as well for my vegetarian friends. I also sauted the meat and veggies before mixing it up. Everyone was begging for more!
To cut the salty of prosciutto boil it first, I use Tuma cheese intead of ricotta. Brick cheese too. No mozzarella. A great recipe!
This is a very authentic recipe. For those that say it's missing something- the only thing it's missing from my Italian Grandma's recipe is sliced hard boiled eggs. Otherwise, it's the same ingredients that are called for to make an Easter Pie(or what we've always called Pastiche) Thanks for sharing this recipe- it's a wonderful Easter tradition that brings back great memories of family on Easter Sunday.
DELICIOUS! I left off the top pie crust to reduce the calories (though it isn't as pretty without the pie crust on top), and it was still a wonderful dish. My husband loved it and said it was definitely a repeat recipe.
We really enjoyed this recipe. It was a bit salty, but I think it was from the meats and cheeses. I only make this once a year and I'm glad I tried this recipe this time.By the way, I halved the recipe, but that was the only change I made. It was very easy to put together and tasty too! Thanks for posting :)
I did not like this at all, I took the advise of other users and used bacon. I just thought that it was blah. Won't make again.
A secretary of mine many years ago gave me a similiar recipe and have trying to find it again since. This is close. I also added a quarter pound of suprasada cubed and made it qa single pie in a springform pan. While it is massive it is the bomb!!! Try it and you'll be glad you did. Happy eating!
Definitely will make again. I cut recipe in half for the one pie, which was more than enough. Used pancetta instead of ham. Cooking time is off. I baked for 1 hr at 330°(by mistake) but stillhad to continue baking for about another half hour at 325°. It was easy and delicious though.
Excellent! I did add 1/4 cup of peperoni for a little kick, and great tasting! I have always found this type of pie too salty, but this one is wonderful!
just like my mothers now all we need is a good cookie dough crust and it will be even better
This takes me back to my childhood. Standing in my Grandmother's Italian kitchen. I use smoked sausage and no mozzerella cheese. The only problem I have is the bottom crust comes out raw sometimes. I have to bake it from 360 to 375.
I took the recommendations of others and added sauteed mushrooms and onions. Additionally added a little more cheese to cut the salt which helped I think. My crust was not browning enough after 1 hour so I did a egg wash. Turned out great! Thanks for all the recommendations from everyone.
Always felt so intimidated when it came time to make Easter meat pie. Being Italian, I have relatives that made it to perfection, including their own crust. Anyway, you can not go wrong with this recipe, came out so good. I made three and adjusted the ingredients accordingly. I skipped the mozzarella and doubled the farmer's cheese. I also added some pepperoni which gave it a nice bite.
Hubby remembers a meat pie from his childhood. When I made this, he was very happy.
Absolutely wonderful. Everyone loved it. I looked all over the internet before finding this one. I make it every year now.
Married to an Italian who absolutely loved this pie. Said it was like his Mother used to make.
I made this recipe 3 years ago, only halving the ingredients for one pie. It was a huge hit. So much so that every year since I’ve had to make the double batch. One for work and one for home. Thank you so much. Only change I’ve now made is to make the meat piece smaller as my family likes it that way!!! Had become a staple to my Easter table. For a more authentic taste you can use pizza dough from you local pizzeria or make your own.
My family ate it because we were hungry and it was ok. Definitely not good enough to make again.
I made this recipe for Easter. Wasn't sure how it'd come out. Well within 5 minutes of serving it was gone. so delicious and flavorful. A huge hit. Easy to make. Great recipe thanks!
Great recipe! Like grandma's! Only made pizza dough batch to make one deep dish, double crust pie. Besides cappy ham, prosciutto, summer sausage, and deli style slicing pepperoni, I used provolone, harvarti, smoked gouda, mozzarella, and parmesean cheeses. Just a touch of parsley and basil, and black pepper. Really good!!! No leftovers!!!
We really enjoyed it! I might give it a little of the Italian Seasonings for extra flavor!
I have been looking for this for over 10yrs . My grandmother would make it she died did not leave me with the recipe. Of all the old world Italian food she would make this was my #1 favorite!!! We will see if i can make it just as good as she did. She would use Italian sausage and spinach.
Love this recipe - I grew up eating this every Easter and was happy to find this since my Nana did not leave a recipe behind. The only thing changed was pepperoni instead of prosciutto and thin pizza dough for the crust.
