Calm the chaos of the holidays with sweet and savory slab pies guaranteed to wow the crowd. 

Don’t let the name fool you. A slab pie is nothing more than a shallow pie made in a rectangular, rimmed baking sheet. In other words, pie’s bigger and better cousin. And the best part? It’s big enough to feed a crowd, which makes it tailor-made for your holiday table.

Slab pies start with a simple, refrigerated pie crust (you know, the flaky, buttery, drool-worthy one). But from there, it’s up to you. If you’re on team savory, we recommend experimenting with root veggies, bacon cheddar, chicken and leek, or — a personal favorite — tomato ricotta. And to satisfy your sweet tooth, try our orange almond version, or mix things up with seasonal fruit like apples and pears. You can’t go wrong.

Tomato Ricotta Slab Pie

Add a pop of color to the holidays with a variety of heirloom tomatoes sitting comfortably on a bed of pillowy ricotta cheese.

Ingredients:

• For the crust:
• 1 Store-Bought Pie Crust
• For the filling: 
• 1 16-Ounce Container Ricotta Cheese
• 1 8-Ounce Package Cream Cheese, softened
• 3 Tablespoons Chopped Shallot
• 2 Teaspoons Chopped Thyme
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 2-3 Heirloom Tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Basil Leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Roll pie crust onto a lightly floured surface, then carefully transfer to a rimmed, rectangular baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Poke bottom and sides with a fork, then bake until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to let cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese, cream cheese, shallot, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined, then spread mixture evenly over crust.
3. Arrange tomato slices on top so they slightly overlap.
4. Return to oven and bake until filling is set and tomatoes are warm, another 8-10 minutes.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with basil before serving.

Orange Almond Slab Pie

Showcase all your favorite seasonal citrus fruits, surround ’em with a nutty almond filling, and top with a drizzle of honey.

Ingredients:

• For the crust:
• 1 Store-Bought Pie Crust
• For the almond filling:
• 3/4 Cup Slivered Almonds
• 3/4 Stick (6 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Almond Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Orange, Zested
• 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Almond Flour
• 3/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• For the toppings:
• Various Citrus Fruits (Blood Oranges, Oranges, Tangerines, Kumquats), sliced
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Roll pie crust onto a lightly floured surface, then carefully transfer to a rimmed, rectangular baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Poke bottom and sides with a fork, then bake until lightly golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove and set aside to let cool.
2. Meanwhile, prepare almond filling by beating together slivered almonds, butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, orange zest, almond flour, and salt.
3. Slowly beat in eggs one-by-one until smooth.
4. Spread almond cream over dough, top with citrus fruits and small cubes of butter.
5. Bake until butter is melted and crust has puffed, 20-25 minutes.
6. Drizzle with honey before serving.

Kick off your holiday festivities with these quick and easy, crowd-friendly appetizers and top it off with a selection of festive desserts, including

• Holiday cookies
• Baked apples with a cinnamon oat crumble
• Cinnamon apple crepe
• Citrus curd