Only some of the many meat and cheese ingredients!
This incredibly delicious meat and cheese pie has been an Easter tradition in my family for 5 generations! My great-great-grandma brought this recipe from northern Italy, and I have loved making these with my Grandma and Mom every Easter Sunday!
My adorable Grandma insists on making 3 pies each time: One for her, one for my family, and one for her son's family in Georgia. Yes, my 93-year-old Grandma still flies and carries it onto the plane every spring when she visits Georgia (incredible).
Pepperoni, ham, salami, sopressata, asiago, mozzarella, romano cheese, and parsley mixed together.
With all the meat and cheese these call for, it's definitely worth making at least 2 pies. You can freeze and reheat them later for even better flavor!
Grandma likes to "take over" the mixing from me. She knows the best consistency!
Here are step-by-step pictures of how to fill and prep the pies before baking!
Want to know Grandma's secret to perfecting these pies? Wrap the pie edges with non-stick aluminum foil before baking in the oven. This will ensure the edges don't burn! Remove the foil 5-10 minutes before they are done cooking in the oven.
Baked and cooled to perfection!
This is by no means a healthy dish, which is why we only make it once a year. But treating yourself is necessary in life! We serve this as an appetizer, and it's also amazing as leftovers for lunch.
Manga Manga my little Italian lovers!
Easter Meat Pies
Yields 3 deep dish 9" pies
Get the Goods:
- 1 - 6 oz. package Boar's Head pepperoni
- 1/2 lb. sliced Boar's Head ham
- 1/2 lb. sliced Boar's Head genoa salami
- 1 - 16 oz. package Polly-O mozzarella cheese
- 1 - 6 oz. package Citterio sopressata and asiago cheese
- 1 and 1/2 containers of 2 lb. Polly-O ricotta cheese (totaling 3 lbs.)
- 1 cup grated Locatelli romano cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 5 extra large eggs, beaten (4 in filling, 1 for coating pie strips)
- 3 deep dish 9" frozen pie crusts
- 1 box frozen Pillsbury roll-out pie crust (for topping)
Just a Few Steps:
1. In a very large and deep bowl, mix together all ingredients:
- Use kitchen scissors to cut up ham, salami, sopressata, asiago, parsley, and pepperoni into small pieces. It's always better for these ingredients to be thin and small to avoid large chunks in the final product.
- Use a sharp knife to slice and dice the mozzarella into small cubes.
- Pour in grated romano cheese, ricotta cheese, and 4 beaten eggs. Mix very thoroughly!
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour and divide mixture into 3 pie crusts evenly. Use a fork to lightly spread and flatten mixture until pie crust is filled.
3. Take roll-out dough and use a pastry cutter to cut dough into 1" strips. Gently lay 6 strips per pie on top of mixture, 3 vertical and 3 diagonal. Use remaining beaten egg to brush yolk on top of strips and pie crust edge. This will make the topping perfectly brown and shiny!
4. Bake 2 pies at a time at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Remove aluminum foil 5-10 minutes before they are done baking. Let cool for at least 40 minutes. Slices can be reheated in microwave for 20 seconds.
The prep time is long but the flavor is WORTH it! Does your family make these or a variation of it? I'd love to hear your cooking experiences in the comments.