I started drooling when I saw the cover of April’s edition of La Cucina Italiana: there, calling to me, sat a massive savory pie of ricotta, spinach, and eggs to celebrate spring. It’s called Torta Pasqualina, and you can check out its history and their recipe on their website. However this spring, admist everything going on, I’ve been trying to keep things simple. I’ve streamlined this recipe so it’s easy to assemble and only requires 4 ingredients.

Don’t let the low ingredient count fool you– this is a very rich and filling pie. Moreover, the ratio of effort to ooos and ahhs is definitely in your favor; this pie is a showstopper to bring to any spring gatherings. No pre-cooking is even necessary. Use frozen chopped spinach and puff pastry, and you can just assemble and stick it in the oven.

Do take a minute to mark the top of the pastry to remind you where you place the eggs– the side view of a beautifully halved egg will have people drooling. If you want to have fun with it, try chopping up some artichokes or mushrooms to mix in with the spinach and ricotta cheese, or double the spinach to create a very green filling, reminiscent of spring.

Recipe: Torta Pasqualina

Ingredients:

• 15 oz package of ricotta cheese
• 8 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 6 eggs
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Coat a 8-inch pan with cooking spray, butter, or oil.
3. Mix ricotta and thawed chopped spinach together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Measure one of the puff pastry sheets to the pan. If it is not large enough to cover the bottom and the sides, roll out the sheet until it fits on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.
5. Add the puff pastry sheet to cover the bottom and sides of the pan, and then fill with spinach-ricotta mixture.
6. Using a large spoon or ladle, make 6 dents in the spinach-ricotta filling.
7. Crack an egg into each dent. (It’s ok if they run together a bit.)
8. Cover with the remaining puff pastry sheet, and cut small vents in the top pastry over the middle of each egg. Cut off or fold excess pastry dough.
9. Bake pie in the oven for 1 hour, and let cool before serving.