Torta salata is a term Italians use for most savory pies. Be it technically quiche, pie or tart. From Italian "torta salata" translates as "savory cake" or "savory pie". It’s made with a pie crust and endless variety of fillings: vegetables, cheese, mushrooms meat and a combination of those.
It’s a must-have for parties, buffets and holiday celebrations. Torta salata can be served warm or at room temperature and enjoyed as an appetizer or snack. But rich torta salata like in this recipe can make a meal all of its own.
Table Of Contents
How To Make - Step By Step
It's important to let torta salata rest about 40-60 minutes before serving. Keep this in mind planning the recipe timing.
Shortbread Pie Crust
Can be made 1-2 days in advance.
On Work-surface:
- Using a dough blender or chef's knife cut cold butter into flour until fine crumb. Make sure to work quickly so that butter doesn't melt.
- Mix salt with ice water and pour over the dough crumble. Using a cutting motion with a dough scraper mix everything until roughly combined.
- Compact it with your hands without kneading just until a dough ball forms. Roll it out to ½ inch thickness and wrap in a plastic wrap. Set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
Using a Food Processor:
- Add flour and cold butter cut in small cubes to the food processor. Pulse it quickly until fine crumb.
- Add ice water and salt. Pulse again until you get a rough dough ball.
- Transfer the dough on work surface and compact it with your hands without kneading just until a dough ball forms. Roll it out to ½ inch thickness and wrap in a plastic wrap. Set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
Prepare the filling
Can be made 1 day in advance.
Mushrooms:
Use leftover Italian sauteed mushrooms, about 1 ½ cup or make from scratch.
- Trim and wash fresh mushrooms from dirt. Cut in cubes or slice. In a large pan add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil and a garlic clove crushed with a flat knife. *NOTE: If you prefer a stronger garlic taste, chop it finely and add close to the end of cooking.
- Add mushrooms and cook on medium high heat until all the water has evaporated. Add chopped parsley and a pinch of salt.
- Transfer cooked mushrooms to a clean bowl and let cool.
Zucchini:
- Wash, trim and cut zucchini into quarters or cubes (if using large zucchini). In the same pan where you cooked mushrooms add a spash of extra virgin olive oil then add zucchini.
- Cook on medium heat with lid on for 5-8 minutes. Zucchini should still have a light crunch to them but should have released all their liquid.
- Transfer zucchini to the bowl with mushrooms.
- Let the filling cool.
Cream Custard
In a bowl, large enough to fit all the filling, beat eggs. Add whipping cream and all cheeses. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Once zucchini and mushroom filling is at room temperature mix them in into the egg and cheese mix.
Assemble and Bake
Take the pie crust out from the fridge and let sit at room temperature to 10 minutes.
- Past that time take 2 pieces of parchment paper 2 inches (5 cm) large than your tart pan in diameter.
- Place pie crust dough between the sheets and roll it out to the diameter equal to pan diameter plus its height. For an 8 inch tart pan this would be about 9.5 inch circle.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Place the pan upside down onto the rolled dough and flip it over. Peel off the parchment paper and arrange the dough to fit the pan.
- There’s no need to grease or line the pan if using my pie crust. When cooked it will come out from the pan easily.
- Pour the filling on the pie crust. Trim any excess pie crust from the sides of the pan leaving a little head space for the filling to expand.
Bake in a preheated to 356 F (180 C) oven (lower bottom! - see picture below) for 45 minutes.
Check the crust for donness:
- Cover the pan with parchment paper and a baking sheet, quickly flip over. If the crust it not completely cooked, place your torta salata in the oven under the grill in the upper part of the oven, just like you have it now, upside-down on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 more minutes until done. Alternatively you can transfer it to a non-stick pan and cook it on low heat on the stove top.
Let cool slightly and serve. *NOTE: if you’re not planning to serve it immediately, cool it upside down until room temperature then flip back up and keep at room temperature for a few hours or store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead
You can significantly cut down preparation time by preparing both the pie crust and the filling in advance, Pie crust should be made at least 6 hours in advance. It's perfect to make overnight or even 1-2 days in advance.
The filling for torta salata can also be made the day before.
How To Store
Keep torta salata at room temperature for up to 6 hours. If need to store for longer, cover it with a plastic wrap and place in the fridge where it will last for up to 3 days. Leftovers can be frozen and will be good for up to 1 month.
How To Serve
Torta Salata can be served warm or at room temperature. This recipe is good for 10-12 people as an appetizer or for 4-5 people as a main course.
FAQs
Yes, you'll need about 12-16 ounces or 350 grams for an 8 inch (20cm) pan.
While puff pastry can be used to make torte salate with simple 1-2 ingredient fillings, it is not suitable for this particular torta salata. Its creamy filling requires the dough that could hold both vegetables and the custard without falling apart.
Use pumpkin, potatoes, or sauteed artichokes instead of zucchini. Instead of mushrooms, add ham cut in cubes. Provolone cheese can be substituted with Emmental, Swiss Cheese or other quality soft cheese to your taste.
Full Recipe
Torta Salata (Italian Vegetable Quiche)
Ingredients
Shortbread Pie Crust
- 7 ounces all purpose flour , 200 g
- 3 ounces butter , 85 grams
- ¼ cup ice water , 60 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt , 4 grams or ½ slightly heaping tsp
For Mushrooms
- 10 ounces mushrooms , 300 grams or a little less
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs parsley finely choppes
- pinch Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil or butter
For Zucchini
- 12 ounces zucchini , 350 grams - 4 small zucchini or 2 medium size cut in quarters
- 1 pinch Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
For Cream Custard
- ½ cup whipping cream or double cream, 100 grams
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese , grated 50 grams
- ½ cup Provolone or Emmental cheese , grated, 60 grams
- Salt, , pepper to taste
Instructions
Shortbread Pie Crust
- Can be made 1-2 days in advance.
- On Work-surface: Using a chef’s knife or a dough blender cut cold butter into flour until fine crumb. Make sure to work quickly so that the butter won’t melt. Mix salt with ice water and pour over the dough crumble. Using a cutting motion with a dough scraper mix everything until roughly combined.
- Compact it with your hands without kneading just until a dough ball forms. Roll it out to ½ inch thickness and wrap in a plastic wrap. Set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- Using a Food Processor: Add flour and cold butter cut in small cubes to the food processor. Pulse it quickly until fine crumb. Add ice water and salt. Pulse again until roughly combined.
- Transfer the dough on work surface and compact it with your hands without kneading just until a dough ball forms. Roll it out to ½ inch thickness and wrap in a plastic wrap. Set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
Prepare the filling
- Mushrooms: Use leftover Italian sauteed mushrooms, about 1 ½ cup or make from scratch.
- Trim and wash fresh mushrooms from dirt. Cut in cubes or slice. In a large pan add a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil and a garlic clove crushed with a flat knife. *NOTE: If you prefer a stronger garlic taste, chop it finely and add close to the end of cooking.Add mushrooms and cook on medium high heat until all the water has evaporated. Add chopped parsley and a pinch of salt.Transfer cooked mushrooms to a clean bowl and let cool.
- Zucchini: Wash, trim and cut zucchini into quarters or cubes (if using large zucchini). In the same pan where you cooked mushrooms add a splash of extra virgin olive oil then add zucchini and a pinch of salt.
- Cook on medium heat with lid on for 5-8 minutes. Zucchini should still have a light crunch to them but should have released all their liquid.Transfer zucchini to the bowl with mushrooms.Let the filling cool.
Cream Custard
- In a bowl, large enough to fit all the filling, beat eggs. Add whipping cream and all cheeses. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Once zucchini and mushroom filling is at room temperature mix them in into the egg and cheese mix.
Assemble and Bake
- Take the pie crust out from the fridge and let sit at room temperature to 10 minutes.Past that time take 2 pieces of parchment paper 2 inches (5 cm) large than your tart pan in diameter.Place pie crust dough between the sheets and roll it out to the diameter equal to pan diameter plus its height. For an 8-inch tart pan this would be about a 9.5-inch circle.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Place the pan upside down onto the rolled dough and flip it over. Peel off the parchment paper and arrange the dough to fit the pan.
- There’s no need to grease or line the pan if using my pie crust. When cooked it will come out from the pan easily.
- Pour the filling on the pie crust. Trim any excess pie crust from the sides of the pan leaving a little head space for the filling to expand.
- Bake in a preheated to 180 oven (lower bottom!) for 45 minutes.
- Check the crust for donnes: cover the pan with parchment paper and a baking sheet, quickly flip over. If the crust it not completely cooked, place your torta salata in the oven under the grill in the upper part of the oven, just like you have it now, upside-down on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 more minutes until done. Alternatively you can transfer it to a non-stick pan and cook it on low heat on the stove top.
- Let cool slightly and serve. *NOTE: if you’re not planning to serve it immediately, cool it upside down until room temperature then flip back up and keep at room temperature for a few hours or store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Warm up in the open or non-stick pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Behind The Scene
My supervisor in charge, controlling the process.
Bande says
A very nice, well organized collection of recipes. Excellent step by step pictures. Thank you!
Svi @ ItalianRecipeBook says
Thank YOU, Bande for your feedback! I'm so glad you find my recipes helpful
Marie Nixon says
It seems like there is a typo under the "Shortbread Pie Crust" section. " .... Add ice water and salad." Probably should be "Add ice water and salt.".
Svi @ ItalianRecipeBook says
Ahah, you're right! That was probably the autocorrect. THank you for letting me know Marie.