Savory vegetable crumble with cheddar oat topping
Potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and peas in a creamy cheddar sauce under a crunchy, cheesy oat crumble, a cozy British bake.
- 65 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.88 a serving
- 620 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 russet potato, large, cut into ½-inch dice
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower, small florets
- 6 tbsp butter, divided, 4 tbsp cold
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1½ cups milk
- 1½ cups shredded cheddar, divided
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup rolled oats
From your pantry
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
Each serving has about 620 calories, 21 g protein, 58 g carbs and 35 g fat, and costs about $1.88 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No frozen peas? Frozen mixed vegetables work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the potato, carrots and cauliflower in a pot of water with 1 teaspoon salt until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
High heatTimer: 7 min
well.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Meanwhile, 2 tablespoons butter in a over medium heat and cook the onion until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour for 1 minute.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Medium heatTimer: 6 min
Slowly whisk in the milk and , , until thick, 3 to 4 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min
Off the heat, stir in 1 cup cheddar, the mustard, thyme, pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. the cooked vegetables and frozen peas and spread in an 8x8-inch baking dish.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
For the topping, rub ¾ cup flour, the oats, the rest of the salt and 4 tablespoons cold butter together with your fingertips until it looks like rough crumbs. Stir in the last ½ cup cheddar.
Dolly’s tip: Work fast so the butter stays cold. Cold butter bits are what make it crunchy.Scatter the crumble over the vegetables and until and bubbling at the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 27 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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