Cobbled Together
I’ll bet you any amount of money that the first thing you think of when you hear the word cobbler is peaches. Peach and cobbler are two words that are almost always used together. Imagine my surprise when I came across something totally different.

When it comes to vegetable side dishes, I tend to struggle to not make the same things over and over. When it comes to veggies, it’s easy for me to get into a rut. While looking for something else, I found this recipe for a Winter vegetable cobbler, and I must admit I was immediately intrigued. I have rarely seen a cobbler that wasn’t sweet, and I was skeptical that this was just a pot pie in disguise. It’s not. It is a legitimate vegetable cobbler that is great on its own and equally as good as a side dish.

Give this Winter Veggie Cobbler a try some night when you need to use all of the vegetables in the fridge and want something hearty and comforting.

Winter Veggie Cobbler Recipe
Adapted from Saving Dessert
Yields 8 servings

Ingredients
For the Vegetables

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
1 garlic clove
2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
2 cups butternut squash (or other winter squash)
2 cups cauliflower
12 ounces mushrooms
14-1/2 ounce diced canned tomatoes
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves plus extra springs for garnish

For the Topping

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
8 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced thin
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus extra for topping biscuits after baking
1 cup whole milk plus extra for brushing

Directions
Prepare the filling
Preheat oven to 350° F with one shelf in the middle and one below. Place a baking tray covered with foil on the bottom shelf to catch any drippings.

Prep the vegetables
Roughly chop the onion, mince the garlic, peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, cut the squash into 1/2-inch pieces, cut the cauliflower into florets, and slice the mushrooms.

Prep the vegetable broth
In a two-cup measuring cup, whisk together the vegetable broth, cornstarch, and hot sauce. Set it aside.

Cook the veggies
Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and sautée for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the celery, carrots, butternut squash, and cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and stir to combine.

Whisk the cornstarch and broth mixture one more time and add the liquid to the skillet. Stir in 2 teaspoons fresh thyme. The sauce will seem thick but will thin out once the vegetables release their liquid in the oven.

Cover the skillet with an oven-proof lid or aluminum foil, and carefully transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Make the biscuit topping
While the vegetables are baking, prepare the topping.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper in a medium bowl. Add the sliced butter.

Using a pastry cutter blend the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1 cup of milk, the cheddar cheese, and 2 teaspoons fresh thyme to the flour mixture. Gently stir with a spatula just until a sticky dough forms. Do not over-mix.

Assemble the cobbler
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, drop balls of dough on the vegetable filling. You should have 14 to 16 scoops. Brush the dough with milk.

Bake the cobbler
Return the Dutch oven to the oven, uncovered, and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly (about 40-45 minutes).

Serve
Remove the cobbler from the oven and sprinkle the biscuits with some additional shredded cheddar cheese. Allow the cobbler to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Do ahead
You can prepare the vegetables in advance in the skillet and then refrigerate until you are ready to assemble and bake the cobbler. Get the vegetables hot again before assembling the biscuit dough on top.