It’s almost Easter time! You know what that means. It’s time to eat!
Traditionally, Easter is one of the most important Italian holidays. It’s time to feast because it’s the end of Lent.
People gave up some of their favorite things for a couple of months and they are ready to indulge.
As a result of that, we’re here in the kitchen at Mortadella Head doing some heavy duty Italian cooking. I’m talking about all of our favorite recipes that you should be serving at your Easter celebration this year.
Easter Sunday is traditionally one of those celebratory feasts where Italian grandmas are forced to work overtime. Why make Nonna work so hard in the kitchen when Italian cooking is what we specialize in here at Mortadella Head?
We are making all of the traditional foods you want to serve at your Easter lunch this year.
When we cook we do it in true Italian style. We buy the best ingredients available and put them into really delicious and simple recipes.
I don’t like to brag, but if our food wasn’t good, we wouldn’t be shipping it to so many Italian households across the United States. I see the names on the orders and can’t believe how many Italian people order from us.
Some people ask me, “Chuck, why do you spend so much time in the kitchen? Don’t you get tired?”
I get tired sometimes, but I really love cooking this type of food. It’s a really fun time for me.
If you need a little help deciding what to serve on your Italian Easter menu this year, I’m here for you.
Below is a list of food that I think should be included in your Italian Easter meal.
Now, I will preface this by saying that some of these things may not be traditional Easter recipes, but they are definitely delicious.
Pasta Courses
Every Italian Easter table needs a pasta dish on it. That’s mandatory.
In a traditional Italian Easter dinner, the pasta is served before the main course. But, these pasta dishes are definitely worthy of being the main course with some great side dishes.
Here’s what I recommend you put on your table this Easter when it comes to pasta.
Quattro Formaggi Lasagna
“Quattro Formaggi” Lasagna is the Italian name for 4 cheese lasagna.
We really took our time to perfect this recipe.Layers and layers of fresh pasta, homemade tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, provolone, mozzarella and pecorino Romano!When it all comes together you can’t stop eating it! And for some reason it doesn’t leave you feeling like you have a brick in your stomach.
I think it’s because we use real homemade ingredients.It weighs 2 1/4 lbs. and feeds 2-4 people.
Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna Bolognese is a classic…an old school favorite that people have been eating for centuries.
People have always loved the slow cooked meat sauce that simmers on the stove for hours.
This sauce gets its name from the city where the original recipe was created.
Bologna is in Northern Italy in the Emilia-Romagna Region. Traditionally a lasagna from this area is made with a bechamel sauce. I like to make it with ricotta cheese because the way the rich and meaty sauce combines with the ricotta cheese is the best! It’s really the perfect dish.
We spent a lot of time in our kitchen cooking, experimenting and taste testing to come up with, what we believe, is THE BEST LASAGNA BOLOGNESE on the market.
I’ll put our frozen LASAGNA BOLOGNESE up against any other lasagna Bolognese out there. I’m talking about any restaurant, celebrity chef or grandmother…ours will kick their ass!
It has layers of fresh pasta, slow cooked Bolognese sauce, homemade tomato sauce, ricotta, provolone, mozzarella, and Romano cheese.
4 Cheese Manicotti
This is awesome! It’s a popular dish among Italian-Americans.
It’s comfort food made with hearty and simple ingredients.
It has fresh pasta rolls stuffed with ricotta, provolone, mozzarella, Romano cheese and smothered in our homemade tomato sauce.
Sunday Sauce Lasagna
This lasagna is similar to the ones made by Southern Italians with a rich and meaty tomato sauce.
The tomato sauce is loaded with Italian sausage, pork ribs and meatballs.
Then all of the ingredients are layered into the fresh pasta sheets and ricotta cheese.
I also add provolone, mozzarella and Romano or parmesan cheese.
Tomato Sauce
We make a really good tomato sauce here at Mortadella Head.
It’s made with really fresh and simple ingredients. It has onions, garlic, tomatoes and basil. It simmers until it’s perfect and we jar it up.
We love shipping it out to people. If you like having a great tomato sauce around the house, you should give it a try.
Meat Course
Lamb
The main dish at Easter is usually some kind of meat. And a typical Italian Easter dinner is serving roast lamb.
It will usually be lamb chops, leg of lamb or maybe a whole lamb cooked on a spit.
The lamb is usually flavored with a simple combination of olive oil, garlic, rosemary and white wine.
You can also add juniper berries, lemon zest or lemon juice.
Simple ingredients and great flavors. That’s the key.
Meatballs
A big pot of tomato sauce simmering on the stove with meatballs and sausages is a Sunday staple in most Italian homes. So why not make some Easter meatballs.
If you don’t feel like doing the work yourself, we make some really good meatballs and ship them all over the United States.
We make the BEST MEATBALLS! They are handmade with beef, pork, pecorino Romano cheese, and some of our famous Roman pizza Bianca for added flavor.
Other Famous Italian Easter Foods
If you are curious about other traditional Italian Easter foods, here’s a list.
Easter Pie a/k/a Pizza Rustica a/k/a Pizza Chiena is a savory pie that’s filled with a combination of eggs, cheese and cold cuts that gets baked in the oven. It usually has ricotta cheese, provolone, mozzarella, ham and salami.
Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie filled with ricotta cheese, hard-boiled eggs and greens such as spinach and Swiss chard.
Colomba di Pasqua is similar to Panettone. It’s a cake that is associated with Easter and is popular around the City of Milan.
Italian Desserts to Serve After Easter Dinner
This is a list of Italian dessert items that you could serve this Easter.
Tiramisu
Tiramisu is a combination of lady finger cookies, lightly soaked in espresso coffee and layered with a sweet zabaglione cream. It’s then dusted in cocoa powder and served chilled. I love a good Tiramisu and your guests will too.
Pastiera Napoletana
Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie flavored with orange blossom water. Most Italian bakeries will have some type of sweet ricotta pie.
Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie filled with ricotta cheese, hard-boiled eggs and greens such as spinach and Swiss chard.
Colomba di Pasqua is similar to Panettone. It’s a cake that is associated with Easter and is popular around the City of Milan.
We Do More Than Easter Dinner at Mortadella Head
Our kitchen is open all year long. You don’t have to wait for holidays or special occasions to have our handmade Italian food.
We ship throughout the continental United States every week. We also offer free shipping to many states for orders of $120 or more.
Let me know if you have any questions!
