Comfort food is defined as food with a simple preparation and high sugar or caloric content that brings about comforting thoughts of home or childhood. Mac-n-cheese, lasagna, fried chicken & mashed potatoes, grilled cheese, yes! Vegetables, no! For most of us, vegetables just don’t fit the criteria. Vegetables are considered anything but comforting! I was always a stickler for requiring our kids to eat 5 fruits & vegetables a day if they expected dessert. Dessert was always something homemade – ice cream, pies, cookies, etc. And the apples in the pie or the cherries in the ice cream did not count as one of the 5 fruits & vegetables, no matter how hard Kelly argued in favor of it! Vegetables were the means to an end, not a wonderful childhood memory.

This recipe may change a few minds and open the door for vegetables in the comfort food category. Roasting is definitely a simple preparation technique. Root vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, parsnips & rutabagas) tend to have higher calorie, sugar & carbohydrate counts than summer vegetables (like zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce & peas). If that is not enough to convince you of this dish’s comfort food status, the savory biscuit-like dumplings surely will!

Herbed Root Vegetable Cobbler (adapted from bhg.com)

12 servings  Prep time: 45 minutes  Bake time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Vegetable Cobbler:

• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 4-ounce container semisoft cheese with garlic and herbs

Herbed Parmesan Dumplings:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup milk

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400º. In an ungreased 3-quart baking dish, combine the potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, onion, and garlic.

In a small bowl, combine the broth, herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the vegetables, stirring to coat.

Bake the cobbler, covered, for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Carefully uncover the vegetables and stir in the semisoft cheese.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, herbes, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, combine the eggs with the milk. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Drop the dumplings into 12 mounds on top of the hot vegetables.

Return the baking dish to the oven and bake it, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted in centers of the dumplings comes out clean.

Let the cobbler stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy some vegetable comfort food!  ~Linda

Herbed Root Vegetable Cobbler (adapted from bhg.com)

12 servings  Prep time: 45 minutes  Bake time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Vegetable Cobbler:

• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 4-ounce container semisoft cheese with garlic and herbs

Herbed Parmesan Dumplings:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, or Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400º. In an ungreased 3-quart baking dish, combine the potatoes, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, onion, and garlic.

In a small bowl, combine the broth, herbs, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture over the vegetables, stirring to coat. Bake the cobbler, covered, for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Carefully uncover the vegetables and stir in the semisoft cheese.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, herbes, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, combine the eggs with the milk. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Drop the dumplings into 12 mounds on top of the hot vegetables. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake it, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted in centers of the dumplings comes out clean. Let the cobbler stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.