Some recipes are worth clearing the counter for, and this is one of them. Katmer pie is a savory pie with soft layered dough and a creamy spinach and ricotta filling.
The dough is what makes it special. It is brushed with ghee, folded, and baked until golden, so it feels richer and more substantial than filo and tender and light enough to cut into neat squares.
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Why you want to make this
What I like about this pie is that it feels like proper homemade baking. You are not just stirring together a filling and pouring it into a crust. The dough is part of the whole point. It gives the pie texture, flavor, and that extra bit of care you notice as soon as you cut into it.
The filling is simple, which is exactly why it works. Spinach, ricotta, eggs, and seasoning give you a soft, creamy center that fits the layered dough really well. It is a good recipe when you want something a little different from quiche or spanakopita, but still made with familiar ingredients.
What you'll need
Ingredients Katmer Pie Dough
Ingredients Katmer Pie Filling
- All-purpose flour: forms the base of the dough and gives it structure. Regular flour is perfect here.
- Salt: seasons both the dough and the filling. Spinach and ricotta are mild, so good seasoning matters.
- Lukewarm water: brings the dough together and makes it easier to knead into a soft, smooth ball.
- Ghee: gives the dough a rich, buttery flavor and helps create the soft layers. You can make ghee of melted butter, look in the tips for the how-to.
- Ricotta: makes the filling creamy and soft. Whole milk ricotta gives the best texture.
- Fresh spinach: adds freshness and an earthy flavor. Slice it thin so it mixes evenly through the filling. Swiss chard is the closest swap.
- Eggs: bind the filling and help it set as the pie bakes.
- Pepper: important for bringing the filling to life. Ricotta and spinach need proper seasoning or the pie will taste flat.
How to make it
- Step 1: Mix flour, water, and salt into a soft dough, knead until smooth, and divide into 6 pieces. Roll out, brush with ghee, and stack 3 slices on top of each other. Repeat this.
- Step 2: Roll out both stacks again, cut notches up to a glass in the center, and fold the points inward. Then let the dough rest under a cloth.
- Step 3: Slice the spinach, then mix it with the ricotta, eggs, salt, and pepper.
- Step 4: Roll out one dough stack for the bottom, spread on the filling, cover with the second dough stack, brush with ghee, cut into squares, and bake until golden.
Top Tips
- Make your own ghee by melting butter, let it stand for a moment so that the solid particles settle to the bottom, and carefully pour off the clear top layer.
- Use top-and-bottom heat if your oven has that setting. That helps the pie stay softer and creamier.
- If the dough keeps springing back after rolling, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again.
What to serve with it
- Serve it with a crisp green salad, a tomato salad, or roasted vegetables.
- It also works well as part of a buffet table.
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Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups water, lukewarm
- 3 tablespoons ghee, melted
- all-purpose flour, for dusting
Spinach ricotta filling
- 2 cups ricotta
- 1¼ pound fresh spinach
- 4 eggs, size L
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Katmer pie
- 3 tablespoons ghee, melted
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Dough
- Mix the flour, salt, and lukewarm water into a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic.4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ cups water
- Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and let them rest for 10 minutes.
- Dust your workbench with flour. Roll each piece into a round. Stack them in 2 piles of 3, brushing ghee between the layers.3 tablespoons ghee, all-purpose flour
- Let the stacks rest for 10 minutes. Roll each one out again, cut 8 sections around the edge, brush with ghee, and fold the sections into the center.
Ricotta spinach filling
- Slice the spinach thin and mix it with the ricotta, eggs, salt, and pepper until evenly combined.2 cups ricotta, 1¼ pound fresh spinach, 4 eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparing Katmer pie
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F. Grease a baking pan (diameter 10 inch / 24 cm). - Roll out one folded dough stack and line the pan. Spread in the filling, leaving a small border.
- Roll out the second dough stack and place it on top. Seal the edges, brush with ghee, and cut into squares.3 tablespoons ghee
- Bake for 30 minutes, until golden.
Notes
Nutrition
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