This is an easy, light and savory recipe for vegetable ricotta pie that only takes 15 minutes to prep!It’s the ultimate veggie quiche for your next brunch!
A simple vegetable quiche servedwith a lightly dressed saladis something Ilove ordering whenever I’m out having brunch.
It’s tasty, light and always pairs nicely with a glass of chardonnay (or a mimosa)!
But even though I love going out for brunch, there’s nothing better than having friends over for a lazy weekend meal.
This vegetable ricotta pie is one of those hearty vegetable recipes that will please everyone… from those watching their calories – to those friends that just want to feast like there’s no tomorrow! And this ricotta loaded vegetable pie always ends up being a big hit with even the pickiest of eaters. I mean, isn’t it awesome when everyone leaves that table satisfied?!
Bonus: this ricotta pie is SUPER easy to make at home.
Wait, is it a vegetable quiche?
Now, this vegetable ricotta pie is very similar to a quiche in that it begins life as eggs and cheese, baked into a pie crust.
However, this vegetable pie recipe differs slightly since it is made with ricotta cheese instead of milk (or cream). You might just say that makes it a bit more Italian in origin than a traditional French quiche recipe.
Nevertheless, you could totally just call it a ricotta quiche and be done with it.
Way more important than the name is the flavor though!
There’s an undercurrent of savory umami from the pecorino Romano cheese and sun dried tomatoes that is smoothed out and softened by the creamy ricotta cheese. The garden fresh zucchini and red bell pepper pop and deliver great texture.
Oh – and the sun dried tomatoes pull double duty in this veggie loaded ricotta pie. You see, they also impart a light and zesty tartness to the entire flavor profile. Nice!
Btw… if you are a quiche aficionado, you may absolutely LOVE these other quiche recipes:
Parmesan and Broccoli Quiche
Spring Swiss Chard Pie With Gruyere
Bacon Sun Dried Tomato Quiche
Crustless Quiche With Edamame and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Feel free to experiment with the ingredients you use in your own brunch-y quiche creations. Believe me, your hungry friends and family will be glad you did!
How to make ricotta pie with vegetables
This pie is packed with zucchini, red bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. It’s a healthy and vibrant medley of summer veggies baked with eggs, pecorino Romano and ricotta cheese.
Full disclosure: Iam using store-bought pie crust for this vegetable ricotta pie recipe since I’m not much of a baker.
And, while they tend to be a little sweeter than homemade crusts, I personally find that to be a good thing.You see, I enjoy the combination of slightly sweet and savory when it comes to my quiche.
To start, I just get my oil going in a pan with garlic, rosemary, chopped zucchini and red bell pepper. After cooking for about four minutes, I add my sun dried tomatoes, scallions and dried oregano and stir the mixture for another 3 minutes.
After cooking, those veggies need to cool to room temperature (or close).
Then, it’s time to whisk the eggs in a bowl, add your pecorino Romano, ricotta and salt and pepper! Mix the cooled veggie mixture in – and transfer to your pie crust.
It’s gonna be so yummy!
40-50 minutes in the oven at 350°F will cook your vegetable ricotta pie to perfection!
What is Ricotta Cheese?
Ricotta is a creamy, white Italian cheese made from milk whey.
And while it can be made from sheep, cow or goat’s milk, most varieties have a fresh, slightly sweet taste.
Similar in texture to mascarpone, it’s common to find ricotta used in both savory and sweet recipes due to it’s light flavor and malleable nature. It takes on whatever flavor profile you throw at it like a champ!
But to break it down to its flavor essence, you could almost say that ricotta cheese’s flavor is most similar to cottage cheese if it had a SUPER fine texture.
It lends a wonderful airy creaminess to this savory vegetable ricotta pie.
Can you refrigerate this vegetable ricotta pie?
This ricotta and veggie loaded quiche is fluffy, eggy and so satisfying!
In fact, if you’re cooking for two, it’s probably better to make two pies if you are planning to have any leftovers. Ben and I always manage to eatan entire pie over the course of a day! The extra ricotta pie holds up pretty well in the fridge for a couple of days provided it is well covered by plastic wrap or foil.
And the same logic applies if you plan on having a crew of people over for brunch.
You can totally make this vegetable ricotta pie the night before, toss it in the fridge and then warm it up when your guests arrive.
This cheesy vegetable pie holds it’s own in the microwave. Or you can do the re-heat in the oven on low – around 240°F for 15-20 minutes or so.
So, the next time you hold the brunch get-together at your place, you’ll be ready to cook on the spot… or reheat to your heart’s content 🙂
What about you? What’s your favorite thing to serve at brunch? I’d love to hear about your favorites in the comments section.
Happy cooking, friends!
Serve this vegetable ricotta pie with these delicious and easy salad recipes:
Summer Rainbow Salad
Chopped Salad With Avocado and Endive
Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad
Arugula Salad With Cranberries and Blue Cheese
Quinoa Edamame Salad
Did you like this Vegetable Ricotta Pie Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share?Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
In a large pan over medium high heat, add olive oil, garlic, rosemary, zucchini and red bell pepper and cook for 4 minutes.
Add sun dried tomatoes, scallion and dried oregano and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables on to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
Whisk eggs, ricotta, pecorino, salt and pepper in a bowl and add vegetables.
Pour mixture in the pie shell and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until cooked through. Serve.
Notes
This vegetable ricotta pie is best fresh out of the oven, but leftovers hold up rather well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Heat up leftover ricotta pie in the microwave – or reheat in the ovenon low (around 240ºF for 15-20 minutes).
Ricotta: The dense, creamy filling calls for three pounds of ricotta cheese. Chocolate: Semisweet chocolate chips take the decadent filling up a notch, but you can leave them out if you like. Flour: The sweet crust starts with four cups of all-purpose flour.
For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny.
In the United States, American ricotta is almost always made of cow's milk whey, as opposed to Italian ricotta which is typically made from the whey of sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk.
The liquid whey left over from making ricotta is really healthy. Cover and refrigerate it to use in breads, soups, and smoothies instead of milk or water. You can also use it instead of water when cooking pasta or rice. Or, if you're really adventurous, try drinking it plain (you'll make your great-grandma proud).
As an alternative to Ricotta cheese, sour cream already has that tangy zing, so a little goes a long way! Bake or dip with it, just like you would with yogurt. But hold off on layering the cream in your classic dishes unless you're cooking up some fun twist like a bundt coffee cake!
Cream cheese: Cream cheese is made with milk and cream, while ricotta is made with just milk. The lower fat content makes the latter cheese slightly less creamy. However, cream cheese can still be substituted for ricotta.
A 100-gram serving of ricotta typically contains around 174 calories and 15 grams of fat, with the majority of the fat being saturated. In contrast, the same serving size of cottage cheese contains approximately 98 calories and only 4 grams of fat, with a lower proportion of saturated fat.
A serving of cottage cheese or ricotta will pack a healthy dose of protein, and they're typically lower in calories; half a cup of cottage cheese is roughly 110 calories. Ricotta is higher in calories — about 180 calories for half a cup — but is loaded with calcium.
This is one of the world's oldest cheeses, dating back to the Bronze Age. Ricotta is an Italian curd cheese made from whey left over from the production of other cheese. Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated.
Light, creamy, and cloud-like in texture, my Whipped Ricotta Cream is an easy 5 minute dessert that I turn to when I'm craving something sweet, but want low effort. The base is made with 3 ingredients — ricotta cheese, heavy cream, and almond extract, no added sugar!
A simple marriage of ricotta cheese, egg, and a secret ingredient make for a sauce that's even creamier than those that use heavy cream, which can be a bit too rich and filling.
Cream cheese: Cream cheese is made with milk and cream, while ricotta is made with just milk. The lower fat content makes the latter cheese slightly less creamy. However, cream cheese can still be substituted for ricotta.
Strictly speaking, ricotta is not really considered a cheese, but a latticino—which means a dairy by-product—just as cow or buffalo milk mozzarellas are. Basically ricotta is made from whey—that is, the watery liquid that remains after cow, sheep or goat cheese is made.
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Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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