Green Vegetable Crumble
A couple of years ago, I discovered the savoury crumble. What seemed like a crazy notion at the time has become one of my favourite recipes and the easiest way, bar none, to get green vegetables into people, especially kids.
I have to confess, I’m a sucker for anything in a cheese sauce. And this recipe is just the perfect combination of crunchy, soft, creamy, light, satisfying and more-ish. It really is.
It truly doesn’t feel like you are eating green vegetables. To be honest, you barely notice it. Now my family enjoys a good green vegetable, but they never ever go down quite as easily as when I serve them like this. My three-year-old daughter generally puts away three servings, and my two-year-old son gets at least to the end of his second portion before he even notices there is spinach he could pick out!
It is good old-fashioned comfort food, in a new healthy exciting way.
And the fats from the dairy help you to absorb the goodness from the greens, as the vitamin K found in them is one of the four vitamins (A, D, E and K) that can only be absorbed by the body in combination with fat.
I have lightened up the white sauce with half stock-half milk, and swapped plain white flour for wholemeal or spelt flour and oats to make a more nutritious, fibre-rich wholegrain crumble topping. So, while it may not be listed in the top 10 healthy foods of all time, it is certainly not a bad way to get some goodness into the family and allow them to truly enjoy it in the process!
This can also be made ahead or cooked in batches and frozen just after assembling and before baking to make for a much healthier “ready meal” to cook from the freezer than anything you will find in the supermarket.
This is our version of vegetarian cooking on a budget, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
A creamy, cheesy savoury dish packed with green vegetables, covered in a lighter white sauce, and topped with a wholegrain crumble. Nutrient dense, rich, filling and balanced. Full of green vegetables you don't even notice yourself eating!
- 350 g (2 cups) frozen broccoli florets (or 1 head fresh)
- 250 g (1 and 1/2 cups) frozen chopped or whole baby leaf spinach
- 225 g (1 and 1/2 cups) frozen peas
- 1 large courgetter (zucchini), grated
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp flour (plain/all-purpose, gluten free, wholewheat or wholemeal spelt all work)
- 400 ml (1 and 3/4 cups) milk (I like to use full-fat)
- 400 ml (1 and 3/4 cups) stock of choice (vegetable, chicken or beef - homemade is always always best, and if buying cubes please check ingredients) or more milk
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder (or 1 tsp mustard)
- small pinch or grating of nutmeg or allspice (about 1/4 tsp)
- salt & pepper, to taste
- large handful of grated cheese (about 50g - 1/2 cup)
- 100 g (3/4 cup) wholewheat or wholemeal spelt flour (I've also tested this with plain gluten free flour and it works fine, too)
- 200 g (2 cups) oats (gluten free if needed)
- pinch sea salt (about 1/4 tsp)
- 110 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
- handful of chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds all work well)
- handful of seeds (sunflower and pumpkin or a seed mix work really well)
- a little more grated cheese to top, optional
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Preheat oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Steam the frozen vegetables in a steamer or microwave according to packet instructions. I like to do the different veg individually in the microwave which takes about 10-15 mins (broccoli takes the longest) or in a steamer I start with the broccoli and then chuck in the spinach and peas for the last few mins of cooking time and it takes less than 10 mins. Drain the vegetables and squeeze any excess water out of the spinach. Pour the cooked vegetables and grated courgette into a large roasting or casserole dish and set aside.
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Next, make the white sauce: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until frothing and just starting to smell nutty and turn a light golden colour. Whisk in the flour and allow to cook for a minute, then slowly drizzle in the milk, little by little, whisking constantly and making sure the milk is completely combined and mixture smooth before adding more in. Whisk in the stock, mustard, nutmeg or allspice and salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for a few mins, whisking constantly. You should have a fairly thick white sauce. Take off the heat and stir through the grated cheese, then pour the sauce into the dish with the green vegetables and mix well.
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Finally, make the crumble: pour the flour, oats and salt into a food processor and pulse for 30 secs or so to break down the oats a bit and combine everything. Add in the cubed butter and pulse for another 30 secs or so until you combined with the flour but still leaving little chunks. Grab handfuls of the crumble mixture and squeeze, to help the butter form clumps, before topping the creamy vegetable mixture with it. Once the vegetables are completely covered with an even layer of crumble, scatter over some chopped nuts and seeds, and a little extra grated cheese, if using. Pop in the preheated oven for 25-30 mins, until the crumble topping is golden and cooked and the cheesy filling is bubbling up around the crumble. Serve on its own or with a green salad or fresh chopped tomatoes drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
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