Italian Easter Rice pie

April 13, 2025
Cakes
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Italian Easter Rice pie

Italian Easter rice pie known as torta di riso di Pasqua in Italian is a classic Italian dessert that is commonly served at Easter. This classic Italian sweet pie is made with creamy arborio rice, ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and often flavored with citrus. Then baked in a buttery crust until golden, the result is a custard- like texture lightly sweetened. Italian Easter rice pie was originally created as a way to use up pantry staples like rice, milk, cheese and eggs during lent. Traditionally made on holy Saturday . the pie is chilled overnight and served on Easter Sunday, either as a light breakfast with coffee or as sweet treat after an Easter meal.

Make this Italian Easter rice pie recipe manageable.

Italian Easter rice pie isn’t as easy as some of my other desserts it takes a little time, but it is so worth the time and effort. Between making the crust, and cooking the rice it’s definitely a recipe with a few parts to it. But don’t let that scare you off.

The key is to break it down into manageable steps. You can cook the rice ahead of time and prep the crust in advance. Once those are ready, the rest comes together more easily. Think of it as a weekend baking project- a recipe that makes you slow down, maybe put some music on , and enjoy the rhythm of cooking.

If your looking for more Easter Recipes try My rosemary garlic seared lambchops or my delicious spaghetti pie or for a delicious Easter breakfast treat try my easy crepe recipe.

Ingredients

For the pasta frolla ( pastry dough)
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
1/2 stick room temperature butter
zest from one lemon ( about 1 Tbsp.)
FOR THE FILLING
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups milk
1 lemon and 1 piece orange peel
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups ricotta
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup candied citron or candied lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
powder sugar for dusting

Instructions

MAKE THE PASTA FROLLA (the pastry dough)
In a food processer add the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pulse until well combined.
Add the eggs, egg yolks, and butter and pulse until , large moist crumbs start to form (1-2 minutes)
Remove dough from the food processer onto a smooth surface. And with your hands knead the dough gently into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour .
MAKE THE FILLING
Add the rice, orange peel, vanilla and cinnamon to the milk. Simmer over medium high heat for 30 minutes, stirring often to keep the mixture from sticking to the pan, cook until the rice is cooked and most of the milk as been absorbed. Remove the orange peel. Add the butter to the rice and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Then spread out on a baking tray and let cool.
If the ricotta has a lot of liquid in it , drain it in a colander
In a large bowl , beat the ricotta with the sugar until light, then add in the orange extract and mix until well combined.
Once the rice has cooled completely, add it to the ricotta mixture slowly a few spoons at a time. Mix with a wooden spoon until the rice is fully incorporated into the filling. Set aside
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8 inch springform pan or pie pan.
On a lightly floured surface cut the dough in half roll out one half of the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to the prepared pan, and cut off any hanging edges. fill with the filling.
Roll out the remaining dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into 10 about 6 inch long strips, make a lattice pattern with the dough strips.
Bake the Pie for 50-60 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let the pie cool then dust with powder sugar. ENJOY!!!