Vegan Spinach Pie with Ricotta (Easy Recipe)

Name: Vegan Spinach Pie with Ricotta
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 80 g vegan butter or olive oil (((3½ oz))); 2 onions (thinly sliced); 2 cloves of garlic ( chopped); 800 g spinach leaves (((28 oz))); 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp nutmeg; 100 ml vegan cream (((⅖ cup))); 100 g breadcrumbs (((3½ oz))); 350 g vegan ricotta (((12½ oz))); 2 vegan puff pastry sheets (rolled out and round 33cm (13'')); 1 tbsp vegan cream; 2 tsp fresh thyme; 1 tsp salt flakes optional

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This vegan spinach pie is a delicious version of an Italian recipe called "torta pasqualina". Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie traditionally baked for Easter, that is made of layers of spinach, ricotta, and egg. This recipe is very similar to the Greek spanakopita. The two main differences are that Torta Pasqualina uses shortcrust pastry and not filo pastry and that the filling is made with ricotta cheese and not feta.

This spinach pie is easy to make and packed with nutrients. It's a good source of vitamins C and A, calcium, as well as fiber. Since it is a rather heavy dish, it is good to serve it paired with salad.

Before you jump into the kitchen to make this pie, I recommend you read the blog post carefully. The recipe is simple, but there are a few steps to follow.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Make ahead option
How to serve
Storage
FAQ
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Ingredients

To make this recipe you'll need the following ingredients:

vegan ricotta
spinach leaves (fresh or frozen)
onion
garlic
breadcrumbs
plant-based cream
puff pastry
nutmeg
salt & pepper

See the recipe card at the bottom of this blog-post for the quantities.

Instructions

This vegan spinach pie comes together in just a few steps. Here's a visual of how it's done:

First, caramelise the onions. Heat some vegan butter over medium-high heat, add in the finely sliced onions and sauté them until they are golden brown. The onions are ready when they are nice and soft and have a caramel-like color.

adding spinach to the caramelised onions

Next, add the spinach leaves and cook until they are wilted. Stir in the vegan cream, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and give it a good stir.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the spinach cool briefly.

Next, heat the rest of the vegan butter in a pan, add in the breadcrumbs and sauté until golden brown. Add a pinch of salt if necessary and set aside.

To assemble the pie, line the bottom and sides of a 21 cm (8 inch) baking pan with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry and place it in the mold so that it covers the bottom and sides of it.

Add the breadcrumbs and make an even layer. Then add the spinach and do the same and then top the spinach with the ricotta.

Take the second puff pastry's sheet, roll it out and cover the ricotta layer with it. Cut off the excess dough and press the edges together.

Next brush the pie with the vegan cream, sprinkle it with a pinch of salt flakes and some fresh thyme and bake it for 35 minutes in the middle of the oven.

Substitutions

If you need to substitute ingredients below I explain which ones you can substitute and how to do it.

Spinach - instead of spinach, you can use kale. You can also use frozen spinach, let them thaw in the fridge overnight and drain them before using.
Ricotta - you can use any kind of plant-based ricotta. Cashew- and soy-ricotta are the best ones in my opinion. People have made this recipe using dairy-free cream-cheese and vegan feta cheese and were happy about the result.
Puff-pastry - can be replaced with vegan short-crust pastry or phyllo pastry (in this case brush each layer of pastry with olive oil)
Vegan butter - use olive oil instead.

Variations

If you want to try a new variation of this recipe below are some ideas:

Fresh Herbs - a variation I do a lot in Summer when I have lots of herbs in my garden is adding a handful of fresh herbs such as dill, thyme, mint, parsley and oregano to the spinach mixture.
Lemony ricotta - another option to add a kick of flavor is adding a teaspoon of lemon zest and lemon juice to the ricotta.
Spicy - add chopped red chilli and a generous pinch of black pepper to the spinach mixture to make the pie a little spicy.
Extra Protein - You can add extra protein by adding 150 g of shredded tofu to the spinach.
Gluten-free - use gluten-free puff-pastry and breadcrumbs.

Equipment

All you need to make this recipe are a pie form (Ø 21 cm, 8'') and two pans. If your pie form is bigger just make double the amount of spinach, ricotta and bread crumbs.

Make ahead option

This pie can be made 1 day ahead without any problems. Once the pie is assembled, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. When you want to bake it, preheat the oven, brush the surface of the puff pastry with vegan cream and bake it as explained in the recipe card at the end of this blog-post.

How to serve

Since it is a carbohydrate-rich dish, I recommend serving this savory pie with some salad. This way the freshness of the salad will balance out the spinach pie.

Storage

If you have leftovers put them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them in the oven at 180 degrees (360 F) for 20 minutes before serving.

I do not recommend freezing this pie because the puff pastry tends to become soggy.

FAQ

Is spinach pie healthy for you?

Yes if eaten in moderation and paired with a salad. This spinach pie is high in fiber and therefore satiates for a long time, but at the same time it is also a high-fat dish.

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