Low-Carb Savory Easter Torta Pasqualina

Every Easter growing up we used to go into my Italian grandparents house who lived an hours drive away and eat grilled fish and Nan’s Easter pie. Her pie was made using fresh greens from the garden with cracked eggs on top.

Unfortunately she never wrote down the recipe, and it's not something she passed down to her children, so this recipe is based on my memory of Nan’s Easter pie, and some google search results! And you know what, this keto pie tastes pretty close to the delicious pie that we drove an hour to eat each Easter when we were young.

This low-carb pie will keep in the fridge for a few days but can also be frozen for months in case you have any leftovers.

Substitutions for Chard

We used chard (silverbeet) but you can use any greens such as cavolo nero (dark leaf kale), mature spinach, mustard greens or collards. Just make sure to cook until tender without overcooking as these greens will need slightly different cooking times (less cooking time for soft greens like spinach, more for cavolo nero).

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional), or 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted). Cook the pie crust according to directions at 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F for about 15 minutes, baking in a 23 cm/ 9” tart dish.

2. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large frypan or pot with a lid over low-medium heat. Cook onion and garlic for 7 to 10 minutes until very soft, but not browned. Add chard and cover with the lid.

   

3. Cook for 3-4 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and set aside to cool.

   

4. Add the chard mix to a colander, and press down to remove excess liquid.

5. Combine the chard mix with the ricotta, nutmeg, lemon zest, cheeses and 4 eggs in a large bowl, season and set aside.

   

6. Spoon chard mixture into the prepared pie pan, spreading out evenly. Use the back of a spoon to make a few indentations in the chard mix, and then crack the remaining egg into the centre.

7. Use the spoon to swirl it through the indentations to create a rippled effect.

   

8. Bake for 30 minutes until firm to touch and golden on top.

   

9. Remove from the oven and let it cool down slightly before slicing.

   

10. To store, let it cool down completely before placing in the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

    

11. Eat cold or reheat in the oven before serving.

    

Recipe

Low-Carb Savory Easter Torta Pasqualina

★★★★★4.5 (14 ratings)

Torta Pasqualina is a traditional savory Easter pie in Italy made with ricotta, eggs and chard. Instead of ...

Hands on

15m

Overall

45m

Servings

12

3.6 g

Net carbs

11 g

Protein

19 g

Fat

233

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings24 servings36 servings48 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 1 pie, 12 servings

• 1 recipe keto pastry, you can either use our Multipurpose Keto Pie Crust or Parmesan Pie Crust
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or ghee (30 ml)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small brown onion, finely diced (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• 2 bunches chard, leaves only, thick stalks reserved for another use (400 g/ 14.1 oz, about 800 g/ 1.76 lb with stems) or see alternatives above
• 320 g ricotta, drained (11.3 oz)
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• finely grated zest of ¹/₂ lemon (about 1 tsp)
• ¹/₂ cup grated Parmesan or any other Italian hard cheese (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup grated cheddar cheese or any cheese of choice such as gruyere or manchego (57 g/ 2 oz)
• 5 large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (conventional), or 180 °C/ 355 °F (fan assisted). Cook the pie crust according to directions at 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F for about 15 minutes, baking in a 23 cm/ 9” tart dish.

2. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large frypan or pot with a lid over low-medium heat. Cook onion and garlic for 7 to 10 minutes until very soft, but not browned. Add chard and cover with the lid.

3. Cook for 3-4 minutes until wilted. Season with salt and set aside to cool.

4. Add the chard mix to a colander, and press down to remove excess liquid.

5. Combine the chard mix with the ricotta, nutmeg, lemon zest, cheeses and 4 eggs in a large bowl, season and set aside.

6. Spoon chard mixture into the prepared pie pan, spreading out evenly. Use the back of a spoon to make a few indentations in the chard mix, and then crack the remaining egg into the centre.

7. Use the spoon to swirl it through the indentations to create a rippled effect.

8. Bake for 30 minutes until firm to touch and golden on top.

9. Remove from the oven and let it cool down slightly before slicing.

10. To store, let it cool down completely before placing in the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

11. Eat cold or reheat in the oven before serving.

Nutrition per serving, 1 slice

Carbs 6%Protein 19%Fat 75% of calories

Net carbs

3.6 g

Total carbs

6.7 g

Fiber

3.2 g

Sugars

1.5 g

Protein

11 g

Fat

19 g

Saturated fat

7.9 g

Calories

233 kcal

Sodium

230 mg · 10% RDA

Magnesium

60 mg · 15.1% RDA

Potassium

270 mg · 13.5% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 slice	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Multipurpose Keto Pie Crust, flax-free (KetoDiet blog)	1.1 g	2.3 g	8.6 g	93
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	2.3 g	20
Garlic, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Onion, brown (yellow), raw	0.4 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Chard, Swiss, raw	0.7 g	0.6 g	0.1 g	6
Ricotta cheese, full-fat	0.8 g	3 g	3.5 g	46
Nutmeg, spices	0.1 g	0 g	0.1 g	1
Lemon zest (peel), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Parmesan cheese	0.1 g	1.3 g	1 g	15
Cheddar cheese	0.1 g	1.1 g	1.6 g	19
Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs)	0.2 g	2.6 g	2 g	30
Total	3.6 g	11 g	19 g	233

Serving size 1 slice

• Gluten free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian