Pumpkin & White Bean Savoury Crumble

The recipe

Pumpkin & White Bean Savoury Crumble

Part-roasted pumpkin and white beans beneath a coarse oat, butter and cheddar crumble. Roasting drives off excess moisture before assembly, helping the topping stay crisp. An original recipe, not kitchen-tested.

Ingredients

• 800 g raw pumpkin flesh, peeled and deseeded
• 480 g canned white beans, drained and rinsed, weighed after draining
• 180 g raw onion, peeled and finely diced
• 12 g raw garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 20 g olive oil
• 2 g dried thyme
• 100 ml prepared vegetarian stock (100 g)
• 90 g dry rolled oats
• 70 g plain wheat flour, dry
• 65 g cold butter, diced
• 90 g cheddar made with vegetarian rennet, grated
• 3 g fine salt
• 1 g ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 220°C conventional or 200°C fan. Allow about 10 minutes to preheat while preparing the vegetables. Cut the pumpkin into 2 cm cubes. Have a large shallow roasting tray and a roughly 25 × 20 cm baking dish ready.
2. Toss the pumpkin on the roasting tray with 12 g oil and 1 g salt. Spread in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. The edges should begin to colour and the surfaces should look dry, while the centres remain slightly firm.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 8 g oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the drained white beans, 100 ml stock, remaining 2 g salt and black pepper. Simmer uncovered for 4–5 minutes, stirring gently, until only a small amount of liquid remains between the beans. Take off the heat; avoid crushing the beans.
5. Mix the dry oats and flour in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Fold in the grated cheddar, then squeeze a few handfuls lightly to create small clusters. Keep refrigerated until assembly.
6. Remove the pumpkin and reduce the oven to 200°C conventional or 180°C fan. If liquid remains on the tray, lift the pumpkin out with a slotted spoon. Fold it gently into the bean mixture and transfer to the baking dish. The filling should be moist without a pool of liquid underneath.
7. Scatter the crumble evenly over the filling, leaving it loose rather than pressing it down. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. If necessary, bake for up to 5 minutes longer.
8. Rest uncovered for 5 minutes before dividing into four portions. The listed 85-minute total includes preheating, overlapping preparation, roasting, baking and this resting time; allow up to 5 minutes extra if the topping needs longer.

Storage and reheating

Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the surrounding temperature exceeds 32°C. Keep at 4°C or below and eat within 3 days. Reheat portions to 74°C throughout; an oven helps restore the topping's crispness. No official source links were supplied with the brief.

Substitutions and ingredient notes

Use 800 g plain frozen pumpkin instead of fresh, roasting from frozen and allowing an extra 10–15 minutes for moisture to evaporate. For a wheat-free crumble, replace the flour with the same weight of finely ground oats; check that both oat products are certified gluten-free if needed. Butter and cheddar contain milk, and flour contains wheat; check stock and replacement-product labels for allergens and cross-contact. Choose vegetarian stock and vegetarian-rennet cheese.

Estimated nutrition

615 kcal · 22g protein · 72.3g carbohydrate · 28.0g fat · 11.7g fibre per serving.

Calculated from measured ingredients and generic composition data. Brand choices and substitutions change the estimate.

Storage references: USDA leftover guidance · FSA food guidance