Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (in Under an Hour)
It started with a combo lunch—buy a small salad and soup, get a piece of pie. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Lunch ended, the pie arrived and before my fruit filled fork hit my mouth, the kids had polished off my piece and were lobbying for seconds. (Which I also got only a bite of, come to think.)
After this exercise in maternal altruism, my duty was clear; I needed to try a homemade pie. Problem is, I had never cooked with rhubarb and didn’t have a clue. Can you believe a Midwestern foodie could get to bleep years old without ever cooking rhubarb?
I ended up at the Smitten Kitchen blog where it was clear she had done some serious testing to get a great pie recipe. But after looking at the crust instructions, I was both intimidated and time-challenged (having only an hour to complete the dish and dash to a camp orientation—have I mentioned that our summer is controlled chaos delightfully busy) so I ad-libbed with a crisp.
Here is the final product, filling courtesy of Smitten Kitchen , crisp derived from multiple sources.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Filling
- 3 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds, untrimmed) rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices
- 3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) strawberries, hulled and sliced if big, halved if tiny
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
Topping
- 1/3 c oatmeal
- 1/3 c whole wheat flour
- 1/3 c brown sugar
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1/4 c butter
Directions
1. Combine dry topping ingredients. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles sandy crumbs.
2. Combine filling ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Pour filling into 8 x 8 pan. Scatter topping over filling.
4. Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes. Filling should be bubbling up around pan sides.
5. Let sit for 30-60 minutes (if you can wait) to allow filling to cool slightly and gel. Top with ice cream or whipped cream for a special treat.
Tip: Strawberries are regularly on the EWG’s “dirty dozen” list of most contaminated fruits and vegetables, so consider buying organic if you can.
Most of the dish disappeared that night and the rest the next day. I love being able to make a dessert that is quick, easy and full of whole foods!
Do you have a favorite healthy treat?
- Low Calorie Summer Beverages: Iced Russian Tea
- “L” my Recipe is Lime Cranberry Fizz … (and I’m Going on a Picnic!)
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Making it tomorrow night! Thanks. This is so easy and I LOVE rhubarb although mine isn’t local at all.
I hope you enjoy it!
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Ah, the sacrifices we make:) I’ve never made rhubarb anything, ever!!! Rhubarb just doesn’t do it for me but every Spring I reconsider my dislike because of posts like this!!! Under and hour and oh so tempting.
Thanks for sharing, Inger…
Of course the big scoop of ice cream doesn’t hurt! But you can always do a crisp with another fruit too.
I have to love desserts that are ready in under an hour! This looks great!
Thanks. I might actually do more desserts if I had more easy, healthy recipes.
I made a really similar crisp just this evening! My kids (and I) licked the pan clean. Our recipe was from Baking, by Dorie Greenspan. We’re enjoying the last of the rhubarb.
Now that I know how easy it is I am going to have to go out and get one last package of rhubarb before the season ends too!