Name: Torta pasqualina
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Cuisine: Italian, Liguria
Ingredients: 500 g Italian 00 or plain flour, plus a little for rolling; 300 ml lukewarm water, add gradually; 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil, for the dough; 8 g fine sea salt, for the dough; 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing between pastry layers and the tin; 1 kg Swiss chard, stems trimmed; leaves washed; 500 g well-drained ricotta, prescinsêua may be used where available; 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated; 5 large eggs, 1 beaten into the cheese mixture and 4 kept whole for the wells; 12 g fresh marjoram leaves, finely chopped; 6 g fine sea salt, divided; 2 g freshly ground black pepper; 1 g freshly grated nutmeg

Torta pasqualina: wide hero view of tall round golden layered savoury pie with a cut wedge revealing dense dark-green filling and a clearly visible whole cooked egg and yolk

Prep1 h 10 min

Cook55 minutes

Total2 h 50 min

Yield8 wedges

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The dish

About Torta pasqualina

Torta pasqualina is a Ligurian Easter pie whose identity comes from many thin layers of simple olive-oil dough wrapped around spring greens, fresh cheese and whole eggs. Historic descriptions celebrate extremely high layer counts, but home versions commonly use fewer sheets while preserving the same visual idea of delicate stacked pastry.

The verified photographs are especially useful for version selection: the pie is tall and round, with a deep green filling and a clearly visible whole cooked egg in the cut section. This recipe therefore uses Swiss chard rather than an artichoke variation and forms four deliberate wells for whole eggs.

Moisture control is the main technical challenge. Chard must be cooked, cooled and squeezed thoroughly before it meets the pastry. Wet greens or watery ricotta steam inside the pie and can turn the lower layers gummy instead of crisp.

The dough is intentionally lean: flour, water, olive oil and salt. It is rested, divided and rolled very thin. A light brush of oil between sheets keeps the layers distinct. The top layers are draped rather than compressed so they can blister and crisp in the oven.

The pie benefits from a short rest after baking. The eggs and cheese firm slightly, the greens settle, and the slices cut more cleanly while the pastry remains crisp. It can be served warm or at room temperature.

Technique

Three things that matter

Dry the greens aggressively. Excess chard moisture is the fastest route to a soggy lower crust.
Roll each pastry sheet very thin. The layered character depends on multiple delicate sheets rather than one thick crust.
Make distinct wells for the eggs. Deep hollows keep the whole eggs in place so they remain visible in the cut pie.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Ingredients

Olive-oil pastry

500 gItalian 00 or plain flourplus a little for rolling
300 mllukewarm wateradd gradually
50 mlextra-virgin olive oilfor the dough
8 gfine sea saltfor the dough
60 mlextra-virgin olive oilfor brushing between pastry layers and the tin

Green filling and eggs

1 kgSwiss chardstems trimmed; leaves washed
500 gwell-drained ricottaprescinsêua may be used where available
80 gParmigiano Reggianofinely grated
5large eggs1 beaten into the cheese mixture and 4 kept whole for the wells
12 gfresh marjoram leavesfinely chopped
6 gfine sea saltdivided
2 gfreshly ground black pepper
1 gfreshly grated nutmeg

Step by step

Method

Prepare dough and greens

Knead and rest the pastry dough. Mix flour and salt, then add water and 50 ml olive oil. Knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. Divide into six balls, cover and rest 30 minutes.
The dough should be supple enough to roll without tearing or shrinking strongly.
Cook and dry the chard. Wilt the chard in a large pan with only the water clinging to the leaves. Cool, squeeze very dry in a towel and chop finely. Season with half the salt and half the marjoram.
A handful of squeezed greens should release almost no liquid.

Build the filling and lower layers

Mix the cheese layer. Combine ricotta, Parmigiano, one beaten egg, remaining marjoram, pepper, nutmeg and enough of the remaining salt to season.
The mixture should be thick and spoonable rather than wet.
Line the tin with three sheets. Heat the oven to 180°C and oil the tin. Roll one dough ball paper-thin and line the tin with a generous overhang. Brush lightly with oil, then repeat with two more sheets.
The dough should climb the sides without thick folds at the base.

Fill, add whole eggs and close

Layer greens and cheese. Spread the chard evenly in the pastry shell, then spoon the ricotta mixture over it and level the surface.
The filling should sit firmly enough to hold four separate hollows.
Add the whole eggs. Make four deep wells in the cheese layer. Crack one egg into each well, taking care not to break the yolks. Season each very lightly.
Each egg should remain contained in its own hollow rather than running across the surface.
Seal with three upper sheets. Roll the remaining dough balls thinly. Lay them over the filling one at a time, brushing lightly with oil between sheets. Trim excessive overhang and roll the edge inward to seal.
The top should look layered and slightly loose, not compressed flat.

Bake and rest

Bake until deeply golden. Prick only the uppermost pastry carefully, avoiding the egg wells. Bake 50–55 minutes until the top is crisp and deep golden and the centre of the filling reaches at least 71°C.
The pie should feel set through the centre and the crust should sound crisp when tapped.
Rest before slicing. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then release the sides and rest another 15–30 minutes before cutting.
Slices should hold distinct pastry, green filling, cheese and a visible whole-egg section.

Practical guidance

Prescinsêua

The Ligurian fresh curd is ideal where available. Well-drained ricotta is a practical substitute with a milder tang.

Greens

Swiss chard matches the photographed version. Some Ligurian spring versions use artichokes instead, but they produce a different filling identity.

Layer count

The famous 33 layers belong to tradition and symbolism; six carefully rolled home sheets preserve the layered technique without turning the recipe into an endurance exercise.

Serving

Torta pasqualina is excellent warm or at room temperature and travels well once fully set.

Troubleshooting

The bottom pastry is soggy. The chard or ricotta retained too much water. Squeeze greens thoroughly and drain the cheese before assembly.
The whole eggs disappear into the filling. The wells were too shallow. Compact the cheese layer lightly and make deep hollows before cracking the eggs.
The pastry shrinks while rolling. The dough needs more rest. Cover it for another 10–15 minutes before continuing.
The top browns before the centre is set. Tent loosely with foil and continue baking until the filling is hot and set through the middle.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 wedge
Calories: approximately 530 kcal
Carbohydrates: 52 g
Protein: 23 g
Fat: 27 g
Fibre: 5 g
Sodium: approximately 760 mg

Ricotta moisture, cheese salinity and the amount of brushing oil retained affect the final values.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, egg and milk.

Wash chard thoroughly, keep ricotta and eggs refrigerated, and bake until the filling is fully hot and the centre reaches at least 71°C.

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use within 3 days; reheat until steaming hot if serving warm again.

FAQ

Why are whole eggs baked inside the pie?

They are a defining Easter feature of torta pasqualina and create the distinctive egg cross-sections visible in each well-placed slice.

Can spinach replace chard?

Yes, but squeeze it extremely well. Chard gives a more characteristic Ligurian green filling in this version.

Does the pie need 33 layers?

No. That historic ideal is celebrated in tradition, while practical home recipes use fewer very thin sheets and still preserve the technique.

Final note

What matters most

Result: A tall golden pie with crisp layered pastry, a savoury green-and-cheese centre and whole eggs clearly visible in the slices.
Key: Dry the filling, roll the dough thin and protect the egg wells so structure and contrast survive baking.

About Torta pasqualina

Three things that matter

Ingredients

Ingredients

Olive-oil pastry

Green filling and eggs

Method

Practical guidance

Prescinsêua

Greens

Layer count

Serving

Troubleshooting

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

FAQ

Why are whole eggs baked inside the pie?

Can spinach replace chard?

Does the pie need 33 layers?

What matters most

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