Thanksgiving is just around the corner and for my family that means enjoying pumpkin pie. If you are planning to do some preparation ahead of time you can pour your cold pumpkin pie filling into a chilled unbaked pie shell and freeze it. When you are ready to bake the pie you can bake it without thawing at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 degrees to finish it.
You can also freeze baked pumpkin pie. Best quality will be maintained for 1-2 months. Make sure to wrap the pie tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. The texture may change somewhat when the pie is thawed but the taste should not be affected.
If you find yourself without any pumpkin pie filling on hand when you are ready to bake your pie but you have regular solid canned pumpkin you can make that work. For 30 ounces of pumpkin pie filling, open two 15 ounce cans of pumpkin and take out 1 and 1/3 cups (save that for another use). To the remaining pumpkin add 1/3 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cloves and 1 teaspoon salt.
If you are without pumpkin pie spice, you can easily make your own as well. For each teaspoon needed of pumpkin pie spice, mix together 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Betty Crocker has a similar DIY pumpkin spice that makes a larger amount you can have on hand for your Fall baking: Mix together 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves.
Pumpkin pies can be stored loosely covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Pumpkin pies should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees.
I hope you enjoy baking with some pumpkin during this Fall season!
