French Vanilla Cream Pie Made Easy

I wanted to make a pie yesterday but, I didn't want to invest a great deal of time to a "project", I just wanted a piece of pie for dessert last evening. This little creation is the end result of using some of the ingredients I found in the pantry, along with some whipped topping from the freezer. It probably took all of 10 minutes to throw together and then sat in the refrigerator to set until dinner time. Rich and creamy pudding in a crust; simple and kid-friendly, to boot! Blessings...

Recipe:

1 6-oz. shortbread crust
1 3.4-oz. pkg. French vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups 1% milk or milk of choice
2-1/2 cups fat-free whipped topping, plus extra for garnish, if desired

1. Place pudding mix in a large bowl. Whisk in milk and vanilla.
2. Fold in whipped topping until completely combined and no white streaks remain. Pour into crust and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Yield: 6-8 servings
calories per 1/6 pie = 336
calories per 1/8 pie = 252

Thought: Make it a banana cream pie by slicing 1 banana into crust before filling with pudding or a coconut cream pie by adding a handful of shredded coconut to the filling.