This Italian Easter Pie Cups recipe turns traditional Pizza Rustica into individually-sized pie cups. They're a perfect Easter appetizer or lunch!
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For years, I've been dying to make an Italian Easter Pie! I finally decided that this year would be the year. There's only one problem - Italian Easter Pie is made with cheese. Lots and lots of cheese! Italian Easter Pie, or Pizza Rustica, is a feast in a pie crust. It's stuffed with Italian meats like ham, salami, prosciutto, and a combination of cheeses like Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, and ricotta.
I've pretty much gotten my groove down when it comes to dairy-free cheese slices, shredded cheeses, and dairy-free mozzarella and Parmesan. But the one cheese I've been having trouble with is ricotta. It's been really hard to find around here. But I got lucky last week and was able to score two containers of Kite Hill Ricotta.
I wanted to use both containers to make Italian Easter Pie. Except I didn't want to make an entire pie. So I decided to make a smaller version of this Italian Easter dish and used a muffin pan to make mini pie cups instead. The result was salty Italian meats and creamy "cheeses" all wrapped up in individually-sized flaky pie crusts! Absolutely delicious!
Italian Easter Pie Cups
These mini Italian Easter Pie Cups would be a perfect Easter appetizer or lunch before your holiday dinner. They're easy to make with store bought pie crust and a mix of meat and dairy-free cheeses. If you don't have a dairy allergy in your home, it's an easy swap if you want to use whole milk mozzarella and ricotta.
The first thing you have to do is unroll the pie crusts. Then, use a large biscuit cutter or a small bowl to cut 12 circles out of the dough. Use a rolling pin to thin them out a little bit. Divide half of the cut pie crusts into a greased muffin pan, making sure that the crust hangs over the edge of each muffin cup a bit.
Now, we're going to mix up the filling. Mix the eggs and ricotta together along with the shredded mozzarella, ham, pepperoni, and salami.
Start filling your muffin cups. Fill the cups halfway with the ricotta mixture. Then, add a slice of prosciutto on top and finish off with another layer of the ricotta and another slice of prosciutto on top.
Place the other half of the cut pie crusts on top, crimping the edges, and cutting an "x" on top to vent the pie crust. Brush with egg wash and bake.
Bake the pie cups for an hour, or until they're nice and golden brown. Then, remove from the oven and cool slightly before taking them out of the pan and serving.
Italian Easter Pie Cups
Ingredients
- 3-4 refrigerated pie crusts
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup ham cubed
- 1/2 cup pepperoni diced
- 1/4 cup salami diced
- 1/4 lb. prosciutto
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and generously grease a 6 cup muffin pan.
- Unroll pie crusts and cut 12 circles. Make sure at least 6 circles are large enough to fill the muffin pan and leave an edge that hangs over.
- In a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, 2 eggs, mozzarella, and diced meats.
- Fill muffin cups halfway with ricotta mixture. Add slice of prosciutto. Fill the rest of the crust with ricotta mixture and finish with another slice of prosciutto.
- Add the other half of pie crust on top. Fold under and crimp edges. Cut an "x" on top to vent.
- Brush the pies with the egg and bake for an hour, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly, then carefully remove from the muffin pan.
- Serve immediately.
These Italian Easter Pie Cups are perfect single serve savory pies! They're just heavy enough to leave you feeling satisfied. If you're not going to serve them all at once, freeze them in a baggie or airtight container. Then, thaw at room temperature, heat them up, and enjoy!
Did you make this Italian Easter Pie Cups recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
