A New Lighter Thanksgiving Pie To Try
17 
November 15, 2012
Do you ever want to make a pie and don’t have a crust or want to make one? There is a simple solution.
Don’t use a crust.
I know it sounds lazy, but you don’t actually need the crust to get the homey goodness of pie. I made this pie without any pastry and it was so good that I didn’t notice it was missing. I like to call it “naked”.
The key to success is to use the in season fruit that surrounds us. Bartlett pears are in season and so are cranberries. Combine the two with some sugar and you have a sweet and sour tasty dessert.
Serve this warm with some ice cream or just eat it cold. This looks festive because of the cranberries so you could serve it at Christmas or as a lighter alternative to pumpkin or pecan pie.
Of course, I want you to enjoy your favorite pie on Thanksgiving and just forget about the calories. But, maybe you are looking to try something new. I am saved every year from the calorie bomb that is pecan pie because both my husband and daughter are allergic to pecans.
No one in my house is allergic to pumpkin (or eggs, cream, and copious amounts of sugar), so there is always a pumpkin pie to contend with.
How do you cope with holiday pies?
printNaked Pear and Cranberry Pie Recipe
(serves 8)
4 large ripe green pears (Bartlett)
1 cup fresh cranberries
¼ cup sugar plus 2 teaspoons
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons water
Preheat oven to 375. Slice two pears and layer in bottom of pie plate. Add ½ cup cranberries. Slice the last two pears and layer onto the cranberries. Add final ½ cup cranberries to the top.
Mix the ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a small bowl with the water. Pour over the pie. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar, and bake for 10-20 minutes uncovered or until pears are tender.
Can be served warm or room temperature.
106 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 27.9 g carbohydrates, 18 g sugar, 0.5 g protein, 4.0 g fiber, 2 mg sodium, 3 PointsPlus
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17 Comments:
I use this for crustless pumpkin pie. It's almost like a baked pudding and low in PP!
15 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup egg beaters or 2 eggs
1.5 cup milk 1/2 cup sugar or Splenda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp saltBeat together until smooth. Pour into a greased pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 45 min. Serve with Cool Whip.
rosco on November 15, 2012
If you like your pie fillings more tart, you can make this even more healthy by cutting out the sugar.
Many fruits are easily sweet enough by themselves not to need it.
And for an interesting twist, to add a touch of sweetness back, substitute the water and sugar for a fruit juice, such as cherry, apple or peach.
istara on November 15, 2012
Both the pear and the pumpkin (rosco) sound great.
Sue on November 15, 2012
I love it!! So natural and delish!
Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers on November 15, 2012
I actually don't like pie crust (unless it's a graham cracker crust) so this works well for me. I also make the crustless pumpkin pie and apple crisp.
Nina on November 15, 2012
I had another thought: if you'd like a little texture or crunch, you could always scatter some flaked almonds on top, or even chopped hazelnuts or macadamias.
Another alternative if you're not so worried about calories/carbs/gluten but just can't be bothered with pastry would be to do a crumble. You can also rub chopped nuts and/or oats into a crumble, and it's delicious.
istara on November 15, 2012
@Mikki - there is a Pinterest button to the right of the photo under the Twitter one. Please pin!
Snack Girl on November 15, 2012
I will definitely try one of these pie recipes. And, since my family is always watching what they eat does anyone have a healthy eggplant parmesan recipe I can use for Thanksgiving? I'm getting desperate................
Noreen on November 15, 2012
This sounds amazing I think I am going to try it for a work functions, Thank you for sharing! I cope with the Holiday Pie, by not buying what I like. Pumpkin is OK, but I can say no to it, but put out a banana or chocolate cream pie and I am done for. So I just buy pumpkin!
Melissa on November 15, 2012
Cool. This looks so refreshing. Loved the combination. :-D
Minnie(@thelady8home) on November 15, 2012
Noreen - here are 2 recipes I have in my list of recipes to make. They sound good. Maybe technically not parmesan -but are they close enough?
http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/simple-delicious-family-cooking-eggplant-and-prosciutto-lasagna-and-dessert-thenaptimechefhttp://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Crispy-Eggplant-with-Spicy-Tomato-Sauce/Detail.aspx
Erika on November 15, 2012
I'm going to try this using 1/2 pear and 1/2 apple.
Gayle on November 15, 2012
My cousin and I are very calorie conscious. I will DEFINITELY be bringing this one to Thanksgiving dinner
Stephanie G on November 15, 2012
That pie looks incredible! Can't wait to try it!
Trevor LaRene on November 15, 2012
This is delicious. Even my non Weight Watcher husband likes it. Will make this again and again.
Kathy D on November 16, 2012
Noreen, go to skinnytaste.com to find the greatest eggplant parmesan recipe. I love it & use it often :)
Tracy on November 17, 2012
Mikki Parkhill on November 15, 2012