Best Italian Spinach Torta Recipes

ITALIAN BRUNCH TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake until set, 10-15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper., Layer crust with half of each of the following: ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over top. Repeat layers; top with remaining egg mixture., On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place over filling. Whisk remaining egg; brush over dough., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand 20 minutes.

SPINACH TORTA RUSTICA

Steps:

• To prepare the torta dough, sprinkle yeast over warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Add honey and let stand for 5 minutes. Mix in salt and 1/2 cup flour. Beat for about 3 minutes on medium speed.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Gradually beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour to make a soft dough. Beat in butter, one tablespoon at a time.
• Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place till doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Make filling while the dough rises. To make the filling, saute onion in olive oil till soft and lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook for less than a minute. Mix in spinach and remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolk. Mix in ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add spinach mixture.
• Punch down risen dough. Divide into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. On a floured surface, roll larger piece into an 8-inch circle. Fit into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.
• Spread evenly with filling. Roll the rest of the dough into a 9-inch square.
• Cut the square into 9 or 10 strips. Weave strips over the top of the filling to make a lattice pattern. Tuck the ends of the dough down around the filling.
• Preheat oven to 375º. Let torta rise for 15-20 minutes till dough puffs up slightly. Brush top of the dough with an egg beaten with water. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes, till browned. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove rim. Serve warm or at room temperature.

MUSHROOM, SPINACH AND CHEESE TORTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Saute onion and garlic in oil in large saucepan until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms and spinach and continue cooking until mushrooms have released their juices and spinach has wilted. Continue cooking until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
• Beat eggs slightly in large bowl. Add ricotta and parmesan, sour cream, bread crumbs and parsley to eggs. Drain excess liquid from vegetables, then add to cheese mixture. Stir until well blended.
• Brush some of melted butter on large baking sheet. Count out 6 phyllo leaves and carefully lift them up and lay flat on buttered baking sheet.
• Spread filling over middle of leaves, leaving a 3 inch border all around. Brush edges with butter.
• On top of the filling, lay down 2 leaves of phyllo at a time, brushing top leaf with butter each time. After 4 pairs, fold corners of all phyllo leaves up over filling, and brush with butter.
• Lay down 2 more pairs of leaves, buttering top leaf of each pair. Tuck edges under torta, corners first, then sides. Sprinkle top with sesame or poppy seeds.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until filling is set and phyllo is crisp and golden. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.

TORTA RUSTICA (SPINACH , TOMATO & CHEESE QUICHE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425. You can use the piecrust pan provided, or place one crust in a 9-inh pie pan for better presentation. Leave the other piecrust out to thaw.
• Lightly beat 1 egg; brush half the egg over bottom of crust and set the rest aside to use later on the top of the crust.
• In a large bowl, combine remaining eggs, ricotta, Asiago, and Parmesan cheese and basix; mix until well blended.
• Stir in spinach, bread crumbs and tomatoes.
• Scrape mixture into prepared piecrust; smooth top to make and even layer.
• Place second piecrust over filling.
• Brush remaining egg over the top.
• Flute edge and seal.
• Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375; bake 20 minutes longer, or until golden brown.
• Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving.

ITALIAN BRUNCH TORTA

Steps:

• Place cookie sheet in oven (torta will bake on heated cookie sheet). Heat oven to 375°F Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie plate.
• In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach until well combined.
• Spread 1/2 of spinach mixture in crust-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Layer spinach with provolone cheese, salami, red peppers, tapenade, ham, sun-dried tomatoes, remaining Parmesan cheese and remaining spinach mixture. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute.
• Brush egg on top crust; sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and oregano. Cut 4 small slits in top. Place on cookie sheet in oven.
• Bake 50 to 55 minutes, covering edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool 20 minutes before serving. If desired, serve torta with fresh fruit on plates lined with romaine lettuce.

SPINACH RICOTTA TORTA

Steps:

• Roll three-quarters of the pastry into a 15x19 rectangle. Fit the pastry in an oiled half sheet pan. Shape a lip around the edge and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add spinach and then almost immediately remove to a bowl of ice water. Drain and chop.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add red onion. Allow to cook until soft. About 5 min. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 min.
• Beat egg in a large bowl. Beat in ricotta. Stir in the spinach, onions, cheeses and seasonings.
• Spread over the pastry dough. Lattice the remaining pastry dough and brush with egg wash.
• Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden.
• For the pastry dough - dissolve yeast in water and then add sugar. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes or until creamy.
• Beat in egg and olive oil.
• Combine flours and salt and then stir into the yeast mixture. I do this by hand with bowl and a wooden spoon. If you have a mixer use the paddle. Work the dough until it's a cohesive mass, add flour as you need to.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Be careful to not overwork the dough.
• Shape into a ball and place into a lightly oiled glass bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for about one hour or until doubled in size.
• On a lightly floured surface gently knead the dough a couple of times and then cut into 2 pieces. Cover loosely and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Roll-out according to your recipe needs.

SPINACH TORTA

Steps:

• 1. Thaw, drain and squeeze the spinach well to remove any liquid. Place in a large bowl.
• 2. Saute onions in a large skillet in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent - approximately 15 minutes.
• 3. Add the parmesan cheese, softened cream cheese, eggs, bread crumbs and salt and pepper to the spinach. Mix well.
• 4. Add the spinach mixture to the onions and mix well.
• 5. Roll out one of the pie crusts and place into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Fill with the spinach mixture.
• 6. Roll out the second pie crust and place on top of casserole. Prick the top pie crust with a fork and brush with a little oil.
• 7. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool around 10 minutes or so before cutting into squares. Can serve at room temperature.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

SPINACH-RICE TORTA SQUARES

Steps:

• Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 325°; lightly oil a 13x9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Tilt dish to coat with the crumbs, and tap out the excess.
• Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat; add in the rice and decrease heat to medium.
• Cook, uncovered, until the rice is tender (about 16 minutes); drain well and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add in the onions.
• Stir/saute 6 minutes or until the onions are tender.
• Add in the garlic; stir until it gives off its aroma, about 1 minute.
• Add in the spinach; cook, stirring often, just to evaporate any remaining liquid, about 3 minutes; set mixture aside.
• In a big bowl, whisk the eggs, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper together; add in the rice, spinach/onion mixture, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, and the cheddar cheese; mix well.
• Spread mixture in the baking dish; sprinkle remaining parmesan on top.
• Bake until the torta feels firm when pressed in the center, about 45 minutes.
• Cool completely in the dish; cut the torta horizontally into 6 equal strips, then vertically into 9 strips to make 54 pieces.
• Arrange on a serving platter; serve at room temperature.