Grandpa Joe's favorite
Pumpkin Pie

Is it possible to enjoy Thanksgiving without at least one slice of pumpkin pie?  I don't think so.

About this recipe

Google 'Pumpkin Pie Recipe' and the recipe printed on the label of a can Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin pops up first.  It's the recipe we've used forever.  I've copied it here unchanged, except for inserting a "plug" for the Pie Crust recipe found elsewhere on this site.

Ingredients

  • 15 ounce can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin (See second Note)
  • 12 ounce can NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
  • 1 unbaked Pie Crust
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 large eggs
  • whipped cream

Directions

  1. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl.
  2. Beat the eggs in  a large bowl.  Stir in the pumpkin and the sugar-spice mixture.
  3. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.
  4. Pour the pumpkin mixture into pie shell.
  5. Bake in a preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes.  Then reduce the temperature to 350° F and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  6. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
  7. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
  8. Top with whipped cream before serving.
Thanksgiving Day just wouldn't be the same without Pumpkin Pie!

Notes

  • "Eighty percent of all the pumpkins produced commercially in the U. S. are produced within a 90-mile radius of Peoria, Illinois. Most of those pumpkins are grown for processing into canned pumpkins. Ninety-five percent of the pumpkins processed in the United States are grown in Illinois.  Morton, Illinois just 10 miles southeast of Peoria calls itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” Over 100,000 tons of pumpkins are processed and canned there each year. That is enough pumpkin to bake more than 50 million pies."  (This quote is from the University of Illinois Extension's web page titled Pumpkin Facts.)
  • To make the pie richer and even more delicious, prepare the pie filling using 20 (instead of 15) ounces of Pure Pumpkin from a 28 ounce can.  All other ingredient amounts should remain unchanged.  You may not need the entire amount to fill the pie shell, however.  The end result is well worth "wasting" a little!
Posted: September 2014; picture added: December 2016.