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Pizza Gana Recipe

This is my family’s pizza gana recipe! Pizza gana, if you are unfamiliar with it, is an Italian dish made with a combination of eggs, meats, cheese and a little milk.

A slice of egg and ham loaf on a salad plate with the whole casserole on a cooling rack behind it.

My family makes pizza gana every Easter. We usually have it for breakfast or with an assortment of appetizers mid-day. It’s my favorite egg casserole, by far.

When I was in college, I would travel home for Easter. Afterwards, my mom sent me back to school with a slab of pizza gana that I would covet and make last as long as I could. I wouldn’t share it with anyone. Not even my best friend.

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Selfish, I know. But you would understand if you tasted pizza gana. If you had, you would have fist bumped me.

There are a few ways I’ve seen this eggy dish spelled, this way and pizza gaina! How do you spell it?

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Helpful tips

  • In this recipe, I use sliced pepperoni because I forgot to tell hubby to buy a roll of pepperoni when he toddled off to the store. If you buy it in roll form (like a sausage), you can cut the pepperoni yourself into thicker slices or little chunks but even pre-sliced pepperoni needs to be cut.
  • You can use leftover smoked shoulder or ham for the second meat.
  • With this dish, you need to grease your pan really well AND liberally grease the wax paper you line the pan with. Trust me on this.
  • The sides of the pizza gana WILL stick to the wax paper somewhat but just peel it away. Don’t stress when the browned sides pull away as it did with mine. That is normal.
  • My recipe makes an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inch pan, so if you are serving this to a crowd, double it and use a 13 x 9 inch pan.

How to make Italian pizza gana

Pre-step

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – eggs, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, milk and pepper. (A)

Eggs, ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, almond milkd and a wax paper lined casserole dish, well greased with shortening.

Step two

Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan liberally with either butter or vegetable shortening. Take wax paper, press it fully into the greased pan and then grease the paper liberally as well.

Step three

Cut up the ham or smoked shoulder and the pepperoni. (C)

Bowl of cubed ham pieces, a bowl of pepperoni pieces, a bowl of eggs whisked with almond milk, and a bowl with shredded mozzarella, ricotta cheese, ham and pepperoni added to the egg mixture.

Step four

Get a large mixing bowl, crack in the eggs, add almond milk (or any milk) and pepper and whisk until combined. (D)

Step five

Add ham, pepperoni, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (E)

Step six

Take a rubber spatula and mix the ingredients all together. Make sure the ricotta cheese is broken up and smooth in the egg mixture. (F)

Bowl of the raw pizza gana batter fully blended, pouring the batter into the lined, greased casserole dish, and the batter in the casserole dish, ready for the oven.

Step seven

Pour the mixture into the greased and lined baking dish. (G) I used a 8 x 8 pan and as you can see, the egg mixture fills the pan to the rim. (H)

Step eight

Place the baking dish in the oven and set the timer for 1 hour and 5 minutes. I start testing the pizza gana at an hour. I take a clean butter knife and stick it in the middle of the dish. You will know it is done when the knife comes out clean.

It’s all fluffy and puffy.

egg casserole directly out of the oven

As it cools, it sinks a little.

Step nine

Let the pizza gana cool for 10 minutes before you take hold of the wax paper, lift the whole casserole out of your pan and place it onto a wire rack.

Egg casserole with the wax paper removed and cooling on a wire rack

My sister Robyn was at my house when I made this. She removed the wax paper for me.

All that is left is to cut some slices and consume those slices.  🙂

Piece of pizza gana on a salad plate, with the rest of the casserole on a cooling rack in the background.

Robyn as my hand model.

Forkful of egg casserole lifted in the air above the piece on the plate, with the remaining casserole on a cooling rack in the background.

Mmm!  Pizza gana is surprisingly moist. It’s also delicious and fun to eat. It’s similar to quiche, but firmer, with a different taste and mouth feel. And of course, no crust!

I hope you try this egg casserole recipe!

Do you have an Easter tradition? Leave me a comment to tell me what it is as I’d love to know.

Other delicious breakfast ideas

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

A white plate with a piece of eggy pizza gana with ham falling out of it and in the background there is the rest of it on a wire rack - square

My Family’s Pizza Gana Recipe

This egg casserole is so delicious and will become a family tradition any time of the year, and not just at easter!
5 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: egg casserole, eggs and ham, pizza gana
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16 squares
Calories: 230kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 pound ricotta cheese
  • 4 ounces shredded mozzarella
  • 5 ounces pepperoni chopped up in little pieces, just over 1 cup
  • 2 cups ham or smoked shoulder (cut up into little chunks)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven 350 F
  • Liberally grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish and line it with wax paper or parchment paper and grease that liberally as well
  • In a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs, add milk and pepper and whisk until combined
  • Add ricotta cheese, mozzarella and meats and stir with a spatula until combined
  • Pour into greased, lined baking dish, (it will be full) and carefully place in the oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes
  • Test pizza gana with a butter knife – it should come out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting the pizza gana out by the paper
  • Peel paper away from pizza gana, it is okay if the sides come off with the paper, it will just be a thin layer
  • Slice in squares
  • Plate
  • Eat
  • Enjoy
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Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 75mg | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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Originally published March 24, 2016.

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From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to food journalist, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.

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38 Comments

    1. Vince,

      It is great! Just remember to grease the pan and wax paper liberally!! I make it once a year, and forget that once I grease it, to grease it again and then maybe again 🙂

      Elaine

  1. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I make a baked omelet, but the pizza part sounds fun!
    I have been using non-stick foil instead of parchment paper for a lot of recipes. No greasing necessary.

    1. Hi Anne,

      What a great idea! I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it before. I guess when you’ve done it one way for years, you get tunnel vision. At least I do. 😉

      Thanks for visiting my blog!

      Elaine

  2. I love recipes that are multi-purpose. This fits the bill! You can eat this for breakfast, brunch and dinner. Take the leftovers for lunch too!! Cook once…eat LOTS!

  3. That is one seriously gorgeous sounding recipe! Love your description of your husband tootling off to the shops too, lol! I’ll be trying this recipe this Easter season, thanks for the inspiration!

    1. Thanks Elizabeth! 🙂 It’s a fun dish that can be enjoyed for days. Unless you have a big crowd!

  4. This is my kindof recipe…one that you don’t share with others, haha! I love the Pizza style of this, I would call it a frittata in Australia. No one you won’t let anyone have any…YUM! Good work on your sister being your hand model 🙂

  5. I’ve never heard of this before, but it looks so delicious! Perfect for feeding a crowd, and I bet the left overs are super tasty too!

  6. I love that this is so versatile and can be made with so many different meats! The perfect Easter Sunday breakfast 🙂

  7. This looks so good! I have had this before but never knew the name ! Now that I have this tasty recipe I’m going to have to make it 🙂 Thanks for sharing !

  8. I am hosting Easter brunch this year and was looking to recipe inspirations. I love your Pizza Gana and want to try to make it this weekend before the Easter to make sure I make it right!)

  9. How interesting is that pizza gana looks and sounds. I haven’t heard or tried this before, but boy i’m so tempted to try it right away, eggs, meat, cheese….what not to like!? This is the breakfast I would eat any day, all days of the week

  10. I’ve never heard of this before but I definitely want to eat it! Are there any suggestions for what you would serve with it? It sounds amazing for breakfast lunch or dinner! Great for brunch entertaining too.

    1. We always used to have it by itself for breakfast and on Easter, we’d have it with appetizers around lunch – like shrimp cocktail, cheese and crackers and such fare! Thanks for your comment, Laura!

  11. I’m sold! Never heard of pizza gana but that sunshine-y yellow and the texture is enough to make my mouth water at the prospect of eating it! Love the easy, detailed steps too.

    1. Thanks Saima! It’s so delicious and the photo doesn’t show how moist it is! Half of my family loves it warm and the other half loves it cold. 🙂

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