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Uruguayan · Argentine

Torta pascualina

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A double-crusted savoury pie of Swiss chard, ricotta and cheese with whole eggs baked into the filling, so every slice shows a golden yolk. Everyday Uruguayan and Argentine home food of Ligurian descent.

Torta pascualina is an Uruguayan pastry from Italy, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with swiss chard, all-butter puff pastry and egg. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
55 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
544

Ingredients

8 servings

For the filling

Whole eggs for baking in

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Wash the chard (opens in a new tab), cut away the thickest stems and blanch the leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, cool and squeeze out as much water as possible, then chop.

    • 10 min
    • high heat

  2. Step 2

    Soften the onion (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) in the oil, add the chard (opens in a new tab) and cook 3 minutes to dry it. Cool, then mix with the ricotta (opens in a new tab), parmesan (opens in a new tab), 2 beaten eggs (opens in a new tab), nutmeg (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Line a 24 cm tin with one sheet of pastry, leaving an overhang. Spread in the filling and make five hollows with the back of a spoon; crack a whole egg (opens in a new tab) into each.

  4. Step 4

    Cover with the second sheet, seal and crimp the edges, prick the top and brush with a little beaten egg (opens in a new tab) if you have any left.

    • 5 min

  5. Step 5

    Bake at 190 °C for 45–55 minutes until deep golden. Rest 15 minutes before slicing; it is also excellent at room temperature.

    Food safety: The whole eggs cook fully in this time; bake until the pastry is well browned.

About this dish

Origin
Liguria, Italy · Commonly attributedDerived from the Ligurian Easter pie (torta pasqualina) brought by Italian immigrants; the Río de la Plata version is a year-round staple.Also popular in Uruguay, ArgentinaMore food from Italy
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Pastries · Main courses
Cooking method
Oven-baked, Sautéed
Taste
savoury, earthy, buttery
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Uses leftovers
Cook more with
Swiss chard · All-butter puff pastry · Egg · Onion · Garlic · Ricotta
Techniques
Baking · Sautéing · Boiling · Blanching

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom ricotta, parmesan, all-butter puff pastry
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-butter puff pastry
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-butter puff pastry

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

544 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 289 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 27%
  • Fat 60%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy544 kcal188 kcal
Protein17.5 g6.1 g
Carbohydrate37.2 g12.9 g
Net carbohydrate34 g11.8 g
Sugars2.7 g0.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.2 g1.1 g
Fat36.7 g12.7 g
Saturated fat11 g3.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol183 mg63 mg
Sodium899 mg311 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
671 mg
Calcium
252 mg
Iron
4.8 mg
Magnesium
128 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
506 µg
Vitamin C
39 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
120 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • All-butter puff pastry: Frozen puff pastry (FDC 172790). Shop-bought puff pastry varies; some brands use vegetable fat.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Not squeezing the chard dry — a wet filling makes a soggy base.

Serve with

  • Serve warm or cold with a tomato salad.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat slices at 180 °C for 10 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 30 min

    Keep the butter and dough at the same cool, pliable temperature; chill between folds.

  2. Rest · about 15 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  3. Bake · about 50 min at 190 °C

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 35 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Crust too hard or thick

    Likely causes

    • Baked too long at too low a temperature
    • No steam at the start

    What to do

    • Bake hotter for a shorter time
    • Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
    • Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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