This is a re-post from Easter, but I simply had to include this highly unusual masterpiece during our Pie week this week. It’s SO worthy of a re-post. Everyone and I mean everyone I serve it to always asks me for the recipe. It’s that good!
This Ricotta Rice pie recipe of my Mama Carmela’s and Grandma Lena’s is dedicated to the Camarata family and to the memories of Easter Sundays spent at our cottage by the lake. This is one of our family’s traditional Easter desserts and like many Italian dolces, it is simple and lightly sweet with just a kiss of lemon essence. The rice settles to the bottom leaving a custard-like top layer—Italian rice pudding in a pie!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked long grain or Arborio rice, cooled/room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 small lemon; juice and zested
- 2 dashes cinnamon (1 dash in batter, 1 dash on top)
- 1 9-10″ pie crust (homemade or if you must, Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9.5″-10″ deep dish pie dish with dough. (Recommend deep dish(2″) since this is a lot of filling and will come very close to top.)
- Beat together sugar and ricotta.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.
- Add half & half, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and a dash of cinnamon. Mix well. Stir in rice.
- Pour filling into crust and sprinkle top lightly with cinnamon.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 50-55 minutes. Should be lightly browned on top & may be slightly wiggly toward center (will set up when cool).
- Let cool completely.
- Serve chilled or room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream, additional lemon zest and maraschino cherry.
Once Upon a Spice 
Just pinned this! Looks like something my family would love. Thank you for sharing!
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I need to be served this. You see the only things I won’t eat are yellow mustard (I’m still psyching myself for the American which I’m assured is mild whereas English is like putting hot irons in your naive mouth) and rice pudding. But I love pie. I worship pie. And custard tart is one of my favourites …. this seems a little like that. So I need to be served it. but you are the Queen of cupcakes (and pretty much everything culinary though I am keeping that crown quiet for now) so I can’t ask you. I shall send the recipe to a daughter or two or three or four and plead ….
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Oh wow, this looks just delightful! I’m so glad you shared it again Lana!
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This does look good.
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This looks wonderful, Lana!
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I have never had rice in pie before, cannot wait to try it!!! And am not waiting for Easter to come around again…lol will make it soon 🙂
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I have never heard of rice in a pie before! Looks fabulous, Lana 🙂
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Yum ! I want to go and bake now !!!
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This looks So good!! Need some now!
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This looks really interesting 🙂
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Thanks, Trupti!
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