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I've always liked meringue, but it look me a really long time to figure out how to succeed at meringue when it was used as a pie topper. If you still can't succeed at meringue on pies, this recipe is for you.

Easy Lemon "Meringue" Pie

Ingredients:

1 deep dish frozen pie crust (9 inch pie crust)
1 box (4.3 oz) Jell-O Cook and Serve Lemon Pudding and Pie Filling (as well as the sugar, water, and egg yolks called for on the package)
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup milk
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Directions:

Bake pie crust according to package instructions. Let cool.

Prepare lemon pudding and pie filling according to package directions. Once pudding and pie filling is set, spread into the bottom of the pie crust. Place in the refrigerator while preparing the "meringue."

Microwave marshmallows and milk in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted, stirring after 1 min.; stir until blended. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until completely cooled. Whisk in Cool Whip; spread over pie. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Source: This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from the Kraft website. I made quite a few changes. You can find it here.

Notes: The original recipe called for a crumb crust made from Nilla wafers and a filling that used Jell-O (not the pudding, the gelatin). I was worried about the Jell-O filling and that it might be too much like Jell-O. Well, I was right. I made the recipe found on the Kraft website and was disappointed. It was jarring to have an almost Jell-O layer in a pie. Plus, the crumb crust was all wrong. The "meringue," however, was spot on. It is an amazing stand-in for meringue. It is a little sweeter than real meringue, but it is very similar...and much easier and faster to make than real meringue. I felt that this had potential, so I made it again the week after Thanksgiving and substituted a regular frozen pie crust for the crumb crust. The combination of the lemon and the meringue just needed a flaky pastry crust instead of a crumb crust. I also missed the more traditional lemon filling, so I substituted the package of lemon pudding and pie filling for the Jell-O concoction that was called for in the original recipe. I really loved how it turned out. It was refreshing, light, and delicious. Good stuff!