Healthier Pumpkin Pie {Weight Watchers}

Does anyone else do this? 

You find a recipe that’s a little different - maybe it contains an unusual ingredient or it’s low fat and you want to try it, but you know that if your family knew what they were eating or even if you said the words low fat or healthy, the chances of the recipe succeeding would instantly sour.  So, you decide to make it and not tell them it’s different, until afterwards when they’ve eaten it and said they liked it or at the very least, didn’t realize it was different or maybe you never tell them anything at all?

I do this pretty regularly.  Just this past weekend I made a Mexican cheese dip for a birthday party.  I know my brother hates peppers, especially hot ones so I said it had just a few green chilis in it – they aren’t hot at all so I thought he might at least try it.  He did and he really liked it, so then I confessed that it was actually pickled jalapeños.  J 

Here is another recipe that passed the test. 

I pulled this one from a Weight Watchers magazine several years ago.  Pumpkin pie is Hubz’ favorite and by favorite I mean he’ll have a piece for dessert, 2^nd dessert and another piece while grazing a few hours later. 
If there’s a way I can make those pieces less fattening, but still just as satisfying, it’s worth a shot. 

Even though this recipe is lower in fat and calories, it doesn’t use any strange ingredients and I like that it:

a)      Does not call for pumpkin pie spice (I prefer using individual spices), and

b)      Is not crust-less and, in fact, calls for a regular pie crust which only adds to the fooling effect

Without further adieu….

Pumpkin-Spice Pie (courtesy of Weight Watchers)

2/3 c sugar

1 T cornstarch

1 ½ t cinnamon

½ t ground ginger

¼ t ground allspice

¼ t salt

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

2 egg whites

2 T molasses

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust

•  Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and spices.  Add the pumpkin, egg whites and molasses; whisk until well blended.  Slowly add the evaporated milk, whisking until smooth.
• Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350° F and bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Cool for at least 2 hours and either serve or cover & refrigerate.

Serving size:  1/8 of pie (4 WW points per slice – old points, not PointsPlus)

Pie baking tip:  Place your empty pie shell on a cookie sheet and then fill.  The cookie sheet makes it easier to transport to the oven and will also catch any overflow during baking.  I always do this with pumpkin, pecan and fruit pies.
 

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photo credit: jeffreyw via photopin