The savory ricotta and spinach pie is a simple and delicious rustic dish, which can be prepared with puff pastry – as I did – or with shortcrust pastry or the crazy dough. Ideal to serve as an appetizer or as a vegetarian second course, the savory ricotta and spinach pie offers one of the most classic combinations of Italian cuisine, widely used, for example, in filled pasta (in ravioli, in lasagna, in these stuffed shells or in crepes).
To prepare the savory ricotta and spinach pie, I used fresh spinach, which I slightly wilted in a pot with very little water, to preserve as much as possible their flavor and nutritional properties. The same recipe can also be made using frozen spinach, which should be briefly boiled and then very well squeezed before being added to the filling. Depending on your tastes and dietary needs, you can prepare the ricotta and spinach pastry using cow’s milk ricotta, sheep’s milk ricotta, or for an even more intense flavor, Campania buffalo ricotta.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 399.02 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.52 (g) of which sugars 0.86 (g)
- Proteins 17.92 (g)
- Fat 26.51 (g) of which saturated 9.45 (g)of which unsaturated 15.53 (g)
- Fibers 2.42 (g)
- Sodium 435.91 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 190 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a 10-inch Savory Ricotta and Spinach Pie
- 1 roll puff pastry (round)
- 1 lb spinach (fresh – or 15 oz of frozen spinach)
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano (grated)
- 1 egg
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste nutmeg
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pie Pan 10 inches in diameter
- 1 Fork
- 1 Spoon
How to Prepare the Savory Ricotta and Spinach Pie
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the savory ricotta and spinach pie, start by cooking the spinach. If using fresh spinach, after cleaning them, place them in a large, thick-bottomed pot with half a glass of water and a pinch of salt.
Cover with a lid and let them wilt over high heat, stirring often, until cooked. It will take 3-4 minutes. If using frozen spinach, boil them while still frozen for 3-4 minutes in plenty of lightly salted water.
In both cases, once cooked, the spinach should be drained and very well squeezed (with hands or by placing small amounts between two plates) so that they lose much of their water; otherwise, they could excessively wet the puff pastry and make it too soft.
Once cooked and squeezed, coarsely chop the spinach with a knife (1). Place the ricotta in a bowl with a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and some nutmeg (2) and briefly mix them with a spoon. Add the Parmesan and Pecorino (3).
Mix again with a spoon until forming a cream. At this point, add the spinach (4) and, after mixing them, also the egg (5). Mix carefully until you get a homogeneous mixture (6).
Unroll the puff pastry and, keeping the baking paper underneath, use it to line a 10-inch pie pan. Prick the bottom with the tines of a fork (7).
Pour the ricotta and spinach mixture, spreading it evenly over the entire surface of the savory pie. Fold the edges inward to form a sort of crust (8).
Bake the savory ricotta and spinach pie in a preheated oven at 392°F (static) for about 40 minutes, then remove it from the oven (9) and let it cool slightly before enjoying.
Serve the savory ricotta and spinach pie as an appetizer (in this case, these quantities are suitable for 6-8 people) or as a vegetarian second course (for 4-6 people).
Storage
The savory ricotta and spinach pie, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
If you want to enrich the savory ricotta and spinach pie, you can add to the filling 3.5 oz of chopped cooked ham or the same amount of diced bacon previously browned in a pan.
Instead of Pecorino Romano, you can use another cheese to your taste, such as some grated Emmental or Fontina. Like all rustic dishes of this kind, the savory ricotta and spinach pie can also be an excellent leftover recipe to use up leftover cold cuts and cheeses.
If you are looking for other simple and tasty savory pie ideas, try the Caprese pastry and the one with mushrooms, potatoes, and bacon!
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