When given a choice of pretty much any dessert vs. pie, most people choose pie, America purchased more than 3.6 million pies through the online grocery service last year. The delightful buttery piecrust combined with a sweet filling is just pure magic. With fruit pies, cream pies, nut pies, and more—there are endless flavor options to serve for Pi Day (March 14), Thanksgiving, and beyond.

Strawberry is one of the most popular pie flavors, and it's the perfect time to make strawberry pie. Sure, canned pie filling exists, and yes, you could use strawberry Jell-O to fill your crust, but when the season is right, the only pie recipe you should be searching to make is a fresh strawberry pie! With just six ingredients, this easy strawberry dessert brings the flavors of the season right to your family celebration.

First, start with a baked piecrust. To keep things easy, you can use a refrigerated piecrust and bake according to the package directions. If you love to make your own crust, or have been stashing a ball of Ree Drummond's Perfect Pie Crust in your freezer, use that! You will need to blind bake the crust completely through before filling.

Then, make your filling. On the stove top, cook a mixture of fresh strawberry puree, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch to make a lightly sweetened, thickened sauce. Mix in fresh, halved strawberries and transfer this mixture to the fully baked crust. Let it cool in the refrigerator for a few hours. Finally, serve with homemade whipped cream (or Cool Whip to keep things super simple). You can also try a few easy twists, like adding 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for a chocolate whipped cream, or 2 teaspoons lime or lemon zest, for a citrus kick.

Prepping your strawberries for pie couldn’t be easier! Start by cleaning your berries. Then, cut off the green stems and slice your berries in half. Take 1 1/2 cups of the halved strawberries and mash them with a fork. These mashed berries will be cooked down with the other filling ingredients and the remaining halved strawberries get folded in at the end for a chunky, fresh strawberry flavor.

To thicken strawberry pie filling, you'll need to cook it on the stove and use a starch such as cornstarch (or a cornstarch substitute like tapioca starch or flour). A cooked flour mixture can leave your filling a bit cloudy in appearance, whereas cornstarch and tapioca starch will cook clear and hold their thickness for about 48 hours. And since cornstarch is a common pantry item that most cooks keep, it's the perfect thickener to use for this easy strawberry pie. Chef’s tip: Some recipes call to use strawberry Jell-O to thicken, but the fresh flavor of whole, mashed strawberries for the puree cannot be beat!

Ingredients:

1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled

1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

1 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¾ cup water

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Arrange 1/2 of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Place remaining strawberries in a medium saucepan.

Add sugar to the strawberries in the saucepan; place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour cooked strawberry mixture over berries in pastry shell. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 3 hours.

Before serving, whip cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.