The leaves are vibrant and the air crisp. The time has come for comfy sweaters and cozy scarves. The thought of using your oven no longer strikes horror amidst your failing attempt at temperature control, but rather, offers a welcome warmth and the promise of delicious aroma.
Yep, it’s that time of year again and let’s face it, pumpkin everything is everywhere! But nothing offers quite as much Fall promise as does that Thanksgiving staple… Pumpkin pie!
This pie filling is so fun and easy to make. And what’s better than an EASY pumpkin pie recipe, you ask? Well, what if I told you that you were not limited to JUST pumpkin?
What if I told you that you could use any yellow winter squash- or even sweet potato- and that, in my opinion, they taste even better than pumpkin. Yep, your mind is blown, I just know it!
Okay, I know we shifted gears here, but humor me. Let’s take a sharp RIGHT. Right away from pumpkin and straight towards squash, because going with squash cannot be wrong when it tastes SO GOOD! To be totally honest, I prefer the flavor of winter squashes over pumpkin in baked goods. My all-time favorite is Kabocha Squash. It looks a lot like a buttercup squash, except it has a nuttier flavor. So, if you don’t have any pumpkin on hand, or if you’re tempted into culinary rebellion, you're in for a REAL treat. 
For a full flavor, delicious twist, (You’ll thank me later… right after your tastes buds descend from heaven) try one of these winter squashes:
Acorn squash
Buttercup squash
Butternut squash
Calabaza
Hubbard squash
Kabocha Squash
Sweet potato!
Simply substitute, cup for cup, your own baked and mashed squash for every cup of pumpkin puree called for. For less hassle, canned pumpkin puree or canned winter squash works perfectly with this recipe. Buyer beware :-) In a rush, I have grabbed cans of pumpkin, only to get home and find that it is full of sugar and spices; make sure you are buying PURE pumpkin/squash puree with ZERO added ingredients!
Before we move onto the pumpkin filling, you are going to need a pie crust that is pre-baked and ready to go, so check out my Perfect Pie Crust recipe here:
Start with my Paleo and Keto Friendly Pie Crust Recipe Here! 
Pumpkin Pie Filling:
1 15oz can of pure pumpkin/squash filling or fresh baked winter squash
¾ cup coconut or maple sugar (use Lakanto Golden for a 0-glycemic impact)
2/3 cup of full fat coconut milk, unsweetened *make sure to use all the fat at the top of the can
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp ginger
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°
Add all ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well combined and smooth
Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared pie pan
Bake 50 to 55 minutes
Let cool and chill for 2hrs before serving
Tips
Make sure to cover your crust border with a strip of foil to keep it from over-browning.
Another option is to add a border using a leaf-shaped cookie cutter to make little leaf patterns. These can be added 20 min. before your pie is done baking. You will want to have your pieces cut out and ready to go so that you are not interrupting the pumpkin filling bake time too much. If you opt to do this, there is no need to cover the border with a piece of foil.
Pie can be made a day ahead and served with Coconut whip, your favorite ice-cream (SoDelicious makes a great sugar free coconut milk ice cream!) or even sprinkled with powdered sugar.
If the powdered sugar catches your eye and you do not have it on hand in coconut, maple sugar or Lakanto golden, just toss some of your granular sweetener in a high-speed blender for a few seconds. Viola, powdered sugar! Ps... this is a great trick when you’re making a recipe that requires a smooth consistency, such as pudding!
