Pizza di scarola
Naples' Christmas Eve covered pizza: escarole cooked with olives, capers, anchovies, pine nuts and raisins, baked between two layers of dough.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rest
- 2 hr
- Total
- 3 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Pizza di scarola is a covered pizza, more like a pie: a disc of bread dough in a round tin, a thick layer of cooked escarole, and a second disc of dough on top, baked until golden. Escarole, scarola in Italian, is a broad-leaved, slightly bitter member of the chicory family. It is washed, cut and cooked down in a wide pan with olive oil and garlic, then mixed with black Gaeta olives, salted capers, anchovies, pine nuts and raisins, so every forkful is bitter, salty and sweet together. Cook the escarole until all its water has gone, or the bottom crust turns soggy. The dough is often made richer with a little lard. Done is a tall, golden round that you slice like a cake, its soft bread crust holding a dark, glossy filling, good warm or at room temperature.
What you'll need
14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Filling
Ingredients
Dough
- Wheat flour, tipo 00500 g
- Water, lukewarm300 ml
- Yeast, dried5 g
- Salt10 g
- Lard, or 3 tbsp olive oil30 g
Filling
- Escarole, 2 heads, washed and roughly cut1 kg
- Garlic, lightly crushed2 clove
- Black olives, Gaeta, pitted80 g
- Capers, salted, rinsed30 ml
- Anchovy fillet, chopped6
- Pine nuts30 g
- Raisins, soaked 10 minutes in warm water40 g
- Olive oil, extra virgin, for the filling, tin and top74 ml
- Fresh chilli, dried peperoncino (optional)1 small
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast in the water, mix in the flour, then the salt and lard, and knead 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise 2 hours, until doubled.
15 min
Step 2
Warm 3 tbsp oil with the garlic and chilli, if using, in a wide pan. Add the escarole in handfuls, cover and cook 10 minutes until wilted, then uncover and cook until all the liquid has gone. Remove the garlic.
25 min
Step 3
Stir in the olives, capers, anchovies, pine nuts and drained raisins and cook 5 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
6 min
Step 4
Heat the oven to 200°C and oil a 26 cm round tin. Divide the dough in two, one piece a little larger. Press the larger piece into the tin and up the sides, spread the filling over, then cover with the second piece and pinch the edges together. Prick the top, brush with oil and rest 20 minutes.
25 min
Step 5
Bake 35–40 minutes until deep golden. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.
40 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 377 kcal
- Protein
- 10.5 g
- Carbs
- 59.1 g
- Fat
- 11.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.5 g
- Fibre
- 6.6 g
- Sugar
- 4.1 g
- Sodium
- 598 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Fish
- Tree nuts
- Dairy-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Escarole → Curly endive
The same chicory family; a little more bitter.
Tips
- Squeeze the cooked escarole in a sieve if any liquid remains; dry filling keeps the base crisp.
- It tastes better a few hours after baking, once the flavours settle.
History & culture
In Naples it is made for the Vigilia, Christmas Eve, when Catholic families traditionally eat no meat, and it sits on the table alongside fried baccalà and seafood. It keeps well, so it is also taken on picnics and day trips. Some families make it open-topped, or fold it in half like a large calzone.
Covered pizzas and savoury pies filled with greens are old Neapolitan home cooking, and pizza di scarola belongs to the meatless feast days of the Catholic calendar. Its filling of escarole, olives, capers, anchovy, pine nuts and raisins is shared with other southern Italian dishes, and it is still baked at home more than sold in pizzerias.
Traditional — Escarole, garlic, Gaeta olives, capers, anchovies, pine nuts and raisins, between two layers of dough enriched with lard or olive oil.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Pizza di scarola take?
3 hr 40 min all in — 40 min prep, 1 hr cook, 2 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 8 slices. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Fish, Tree nuts. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Frying pan, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 10 g.
What can I use instead?
Escarole → Curly endive. The same chicory family; a little more bitter.
Any tips from this recipe?
Squeeze the cooked escarole in a sieve if any liquid remains; dry filling keeps the base crisp. It tastes better a few hours after baking, once the flavours settle.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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