I’ve never cared about Easter. As a kid, it was a boring holiday in which I had to wear dresses (annoying!), pretend I liked marshmallow Peeps, and the food was a far cry from that of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Recently, it’s rained a lot on Easter. Who wants Easter in the rain?

This year, I offered to host Easter lunch at our new home. I already hijacked Thanksgiving, less than a month after getting married, so how hard could Easter be? I manifested a beautiful, sunny feast on our deck, and I got it! (Although it was a little too cold to sit outside.) With hosting came the perfect opportunity to research more about Italian traditions. I spent hours reading Italian blogs and recipes to figure out just what makes Pasqua special. Like in the U.S., eggs are all over the Italian Easter table. Otherwise, the dishes are representative of Italian cuisine in general, relying heavily on in-season vegetables and the traditional lamb. Despite variations across regions, here are dishes that make regular appearances at Pasqua.

Antipasti: Lots of pastry (such as Torta Pasqualina), asparagus and artichokes, hard-boiled eggs, and cured meats

Primi piatti: Heavier pastas such as lasagne, cannelloni, timpani, and pasta pies, often with artichokes and peas

Secondi piatti: Lamb, of course!

Dolci: Cakes, especially Pastiera Napoletana

Torta Pasqualina and Pastiera Napoletana showed up everywhere. You’ll see below that neither of these made an appearance on our Easter menu. I recently took a food sensitivity test and learned, to my utter dismay, that I am highly sensitive to eggs! Easter isn’t exactly friendly to the egg-averse. Check out this recipe for Torta Pasqualina and you’ll see why I skipped it. If you do make it yourself, let me know in the comments!

As for Pastiera Napoletana, I couldn’t find orange blossom water and fell too in love with Cassata al forno (pics below) not to serve it!

Our Menu

Antipasti

• Asparagi in sfoglia (puff-pastry wrapped asparagus). Here’s a great example recipe (in Italian), although I recommend wrapping 2-3 asparagus in each strip if the stalks are skinny. Don’t be afraid to add extra parmesan, black pepper, and a little lemon zest!

• Freshly cut bresaola

I Primi & Secondi Piatti

• Pasta pie - keep scrolling for a family recipe!

• Oven-roasted leg of lamb with garlic, onion, rosemary, and thyme

• Arugula salad with parmesan slivers

Il Dolce

• Cassata al forno - I used graham crackers and extra chocolate chips. Start checking after an hour if you don’t want a super crispy crust! Pairs beautifully with a cup of espresso, and perhaps a drop or two of Black Sambuca.

This sounds like a lot of food, but after our meal, while I sat feeling full from my two servings of cake, Matt turned to me and said, “The meal was surprisingly light.”

I wanted to shout THAT’S THE POINT! The beautiful balance achieved on the Italian table is the reason I fell in love with Italy’s cuisine. When prepared with an appreciation for the ingredients and with the right pacing (it doesn’t hurt that we sat eating and chatting for over three hours), pasta and meat don’t have to sit in your stomach (unless you eat more than one serving of dessert…).

Torta Zecca (Zecca Family Pasta Pie)

As I said, I did a lot of background work to create our menu. Keeping in mind that Pasqua is a big deal in Italy and a day that celebrates family and religious traditions, I called Marlene, my Grandmother-in-law. I asked if she has a go-to pasta dish for Easter, and she generously provided me with the following recipe.

What you’ll need:

• 1 lb pasta (ziti or bucatini), cooked very al dente

• 1 lb mozzarella, shredded

• 1 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated

• 12 oz sweet Soppressata, cubed

• Fresh ground pepper

• 6 eggs

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and place in a bundt pan. Cook for 40 minutes and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Storage:

Marlene leaves it at room temperature for 1-3 days, but if you’re neurotic about food safety (like I am) and want to refrigerate the pie, reheat and serve hot. Ours was a bit congealed from the refrigeration.

Do you have tried and true Easter dishes? Feel like trying out Torta Zecca yourself? Let me know in the comments!