How to Make a Crowd-Pleasing Pumpkin Slab Pie

The holidays just wouldn't be the same without pumpkin pie, which is why it's a mainstay on nearly everyone's seasonal menus. But it can be tricky to serve up this classic dessert to a crowd — and that's where the slab pie comes in! 

Personally, I'm a big advocate of any slab pie: They're easier to slice and serve, have a just-right ratio of filling to crust, and might be even more fun to eat than your standard round pie, if even just for their novelty. Plus, they're pretty easy to make: Just follow these tips from our experts in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, and you'll be ready to go.

1. Don't stress over an imperfect pie crust. Any tears and thin spots that appear when you're transferring your dough to the pan can be patched with a drop or two of cold water or the extra dough you trim off of the edges.
2. Make sure you have a bag of dried beans on hand. Or, if you're feeling fancy, invest in some pie weights: The extra weight prevents your pie crust from bubbling and shrinking as it bakes.
3. Cook up canned pumpkin before adding it to your filling. This both dries out excess moisture and intensifies the pumpkin's flavor (especially when you add in grated ginger, like we do). 
4. Prep easy-to-serve toppings ahead of time. This entire recipe can be made up to a day in advance, right down to the toppings: Just pipe out little dollops of whipped cream onto a piece of parchment paper and freeze them. Then, when it's time to serve up dessert, you can slide one onto each slice. Easy as pie!