A savoury crumble takes a classic comforting winter pudding and transforms it into a tasty main course. The flavour packed squash and lentil stew is topped with a crunchy crumble topping, made even better by adding walnuts and blue cheese. This vegetarian main course is like a pie, but with a crumble topping instead of pastry. This savoury crumble is so easy to make, and the blue cheese and walnuts make it perfect for festive entertaining. The rich, cheesy topping is balanced by the spicy kick of harissa in the filling, resulting in a dish that is so tasty that even meat eaters will love it. Harissa is a North African chilli pepper paste that adds depth of flavour and a kick of spice to soups, stews and sauces. For more vegetarian main course ideas, have a look at our vegetarian recipe collection.
Ingredients
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2tsp ground coriander
- 1tbsp harissa
- 400g butternut squash, cut into small chunks
- 150g red lentils
- 400g can tomatoes
- 600ml vegetable stock
- For the crumble topping:
- 150g plain flour
- 50g butter, cubed
- 150g blue cheese
- 100g walnuts, chopped
- 1tbsp fresh lemon thyme
Method
Heat oven to 200C. Fry the onions in oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander and harissa, give the mixture a good stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add the squash, lentils, tomatoes and stock, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes more.
Meanwhile, make the topping. Rub together the flour, butter and half the cheese, then mix in the walnuts and thyme.
Divide the filling between 4 ovenproof dishes, top with the crumble, then scatter over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.
