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Is there a more traditional holiday dessert than pumpkin pie? Not only is it seasonally appropriate—pumpkin is a winter squash that can be stored in a cool place for months—the rich orange hue is a beautiful color of fall. Plus, pumpkin pie simply looks good on a table and is especially satisfying to eat on a late autumn day. And, of course, the taste is wonderful. But that’s not all. Here are three other excellent reasons to make and eat pumpkin pie any time of the year.

It’s Authentic

The Filling

Just the goods with no preservatives either. Amazon

Historians agree that pumpkin was served at the Pilgrim’s first feast. While colonists and Native Americans didn’t have the means to make a traditional pie (no wheat for a crust, no ovens), they probably did put a form of custard into baked, hollowed-out pumpkin shells. Instead of digging the seeds, fiber, slime, and mush out of a gourd, channel your inner pilgrim in a modern and easier way by opening a can of 100 percent pureed pumpkin.

It’s Good for You

Great Taste

Remain true to your organic-only diet. Amazon

Pumpkin has numerous health benefits: It’s loaded with beta-carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A, benefitting vision. It’s high in fiber, which aids digestion and promotes weight loss, and is low-calorie to begin with—49 calories in one cooked cup of pumpkin. It contains numerous minerals—potassium, copper, manganese—plus Vitamins C and B2. It even has a couple of grams of protein. What other pie can supply all that? You can go even healthier by using organic pumpkin puree for your pie.

It’s Super Easy to Make

Easy Prep

Has sugar and spices added, meaning you can prepare a tasty treat in just minutes. Amazon

Canned pumpkin means that there’s no need to open, clean, cut, and puree a pumpkin, leaving you more time to concentrate on the other meal courses. You can make your life even easier by using canned pumpkin pie mix, with sugar and spices already added. All you need to do is add eggs and evaporated milk to the mix and pour it into a pie shell. In fact, if you keep those four staples on hand, you can make a pumpkin pie quickly and easily at any time of year. Pumpkin pie on the Fourth of July? Why not? The pilgrims would certainly approve.