I’m fairly traditional when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal and always want to make pies for dessert, even though my stomach rarely has room for something so heavy. Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites and I think it’s fairly easy to make compared to some other pies. Our family is divided when it comes to pumpkin pie – half of us love it and the other half won’t eat it. So, I usually make an apple crumb pie and a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I keep thinking about Thanksgiving, but pumpkin pie is good any time, although I do seem to crave it more in the Fall.
For our pie, we used small pie pumpkins, that we cut in half and scooped out the seeds. Once the inside was cleaned out, we placed the two halves cut side down on a cookie sheet and added some water. Into the oven they went at 350 degrees for about an hour. Once they were nice and soft, we took them out of the oven to cool. Then we scooped out the flesh for the pie filling.
An easy alternative is to use a can of pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling, but pure pumpkin. This is what I usually use, but we were lucky to have a couple of small pie pumpkins so were able to make fresh pumpkin. Either will work and taste great in the pie.
Start by making a pie crust. I typically use a 10 inch pie plate. This will fit in a 9″ plate as well, but the filling will be right to the tip-top (and I will spill it getting it to the oven).
In a large bowl, add all of the filling ingredients – pumpkin, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, eggs, and evaporated milk. Mix well with a whisk.
Once mixed well, pour into the crust.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. If the crust starts getting too dark, you can cover with foil. (I usually do not have to do this step, but all ovens bake a little differently.) You can tell when the pie is done because it will be firm. If you give it a little shake and the filling still wiggles in the middle then cook for another 10 minutes and check it again. You can also stick a knife in the middle and if it comes out clean, it’s done, if not, bake longer. (You can see where I stuck a knife in the middle of this one in the picture below.)
Let cool. Slice and serve. I’m not sure if this technically needs to be refrigerated or not, but my preference is to serve it the same day at room temperature or refrigerate it if not serving the same day (or leftovers).
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie crust
Filling
- 1 15 oz. can Pumpkin or equivalent of fresh cooked and mashed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup canned evaporated milk not sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Prepare pie crust and place in fridge while making the filling
Filling
- In a large bowl, place all filling ingredients.
- Whisk until mixed well.
- Pour filling into prepared pie crust.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
- Check to see if it is done by inserting a knife in center. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake another 10 minutes, then check again.