I can eat about one slice of Pizza Rustica every decade. So I turned it into pasta.

I love pizza rustica but it’s literally a lift. Like a pound of cheese and a ton of salty cured meats bound together by some eggs. Baked in a pastry crust. I know making a pasta out of it doesn’t seem like it would be lighter but I am removing about 12 ounces of dairy here. Which hurts my heart a little bit. The minuscule amount of leek and spinach here make me believe I am eating a vegetable. I am not.

Italian Easter Pasta

Ingredients:

8 oz short pasta

1 leek, dark green parts removed, washed of grit, sliced thin (I buy them trimmed and washed at Trader Joe’s)

2 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed, rolled in double paper towels, squeezed dry, then minced very fine

2 tbsp butter, divided

Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Olive oil

3 oz soppressata, julienned

3 oz prosciutto, julienned

8 oz mascarpone

½ C finely grated parmigiano, divided

3 oz shredded provolone, divided

3 oz shredded fontina, divided

Method:

Sauce -

Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in large saucepan or skillet. Add leeks and cook over medium heat until soft; add spinach and cook until combined. Season with a bit of salt and pepper; remove to small bowl. Add a bit of oil to same pan and add soppressata and prosciutto; cook until lightly browned. Stir in mascarpone and 2/3 of parmigiano; reduce heat to low and stir until smooth. Keep warm on very low heat while you cook the pasta.

Assembly –

Cook pasta in salted water until just al dente. Remove with a skimmer, leaving the pasta water, and put directly into the warm sauce. Stir with a wooden or silicone spoon to coat evenly, adding pasta water a ladleful at a time to loosen the sauce to a nice consistency. Stir in ¾ of the provolone and fontina. Use the other tbsp of butter to grease a 9”x4” baking dish. Pour in pasta. Top with remaining cheeses. Add one more ladleful of pasta water. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.