Plăcintă: the tasty recipe for a savory cheese pie from Eastern Europe

We love pies. And what we love even more is that they come in all shapes and sizes. You can also enjoy them whether you like sweet or savory. This plăcintă recipe is for a Romanian savory cheese pie, which is also quite popular in Moldova and Ukraine.

Plăcintă (also known as placinta cu branza) has a round shape, if full of cheesy flavor, and a bready texture. To make it, you’ll need flour, warm milk, vegetable oil, dry yeast, egg, and cheese. The dough comes together quickly. And once you fill it, it only needs a quick fry in the pan. Eat it as a side, a light lunch, or even as a snack.

What Is Plăcintă?

Plăcintă is a Romanian savory cheese pie, but it’s also enjoyed in Moldova and Ukraine. In some regions it’s known as placinta cu branza).

Plăcintă is round and usually filled with ricotta and other cheese. The filled dough is fried in a pan, which makes for a quick and delicious side dish or snack.

Plăcintă Ingredients

Milk – use warm full-fat milk.

Vegetable oil – use a neutral oil like canola or sunflower oil.

Sugar – granulated sugar.

Dry yeast – make sure the yeast is still active.

Flour – all-purpose flour.

Cheese – ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

How To Make Plăcintă

Plăcintă comes together in a few easy steps.

Making The Plăcintă Dough

Prepare the yeast by mixing it with warm milk, warm water, vegetable oil, and sugar. Whisk the flour and salt in another bowl, then add it to the yeast mixture. Knead the dough together until smooth dough forms. Allow the dough to rest for 1 hour.

Filling And Shaping The Plăcintă

Now make the filling. Combine ricotta with egg and mozzarella cheese. Season with salt to taste.

Cut the dough into 6 portions. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then flatten to form a large disc. Place 2 heaped tablespoons of the ricotta filling in the middle of each dough disk. Pinch the edges of the dough together well, then flatten it slightly.

Cooking The Plăcintă

Cook filled plăcintă in a bit of vegetable oil, in a pan over medium heat. It will take about 4 minutes on each side to cook through.

Tips For Romanian Savory Cheese Pie

Don’t feel like making your own dough? You can also use store-bought puff pastry or canned crescent roll dough.

Feel free to use feta instead of mozzarella.

If you want, you can add other ingredients to the filling. Cooked apples or mashed potatoes will also work.

If you can’t find ricotta in a supermarket near you, feel free to use cottage cheese instead.

What To Serve With Plăcintă

The Plăcintă is best served immediately. Eat them as a snack, as a side to a meaty main meal, or as a light meal with a green side salad.

How To Store And Reheat Plăcintă

If you’re making a large batch of Plăcintă, you can keep the cooked ones warm in the oven while preparing the others.

While the plăcintă is best enjoyed fresh from the pan, you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the plăcintă in the oven or in the microwave.

Instructions

Whisk warm milk, warm water, vegetable oil, sugar, and yeast together.

Separately whisk the flour with salt.

Add flour mixture into the liquids and knead together until smooth dough forms. Set the dough aside for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta with egg and mozzarella cheese. Season with salt to taste.

Cut the dough into 6 portions, roll each one into a ball, then roll out into a disk. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of ricotta filling in the middle of each dough disk.

Pinch the edges of the dough together well.

Roll it out the slightly.

Cook plăcintă with some vegetable oil over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve and enjoy!