Vegetable Cobbler (with cheesy scone topping)
Photographing this vegetable cobbler was absolute torture – I was desperate to dig in! It smelled so amazing, with heaps of different vegetables in a creamy sauce, topped with fluffy, cheesy scones… I know I cook a lot of comfort food, but you really can’t get much more comfort food-y than this.
You might also like: Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie; Creamy Vegetable Bake; Mushroom and Chestnut Pie.
🥦 Savoury Cobbler
A cobbler is usually a dessert, but I’m not usually much of a dessert person (unless it’s chocolate. I am definitely a chocolate person). A savoury cobbler is more my thing. The sweet filling is replaced with loads of veggies (bringing plenty of different flavours, textures and colours to the dish), all smothered in a creamy sauce. And the sweet scone topping instead becomes flaky, cheesy scones – crispy on the outside, and soft and flaky in the middle.
👵🏻 My Granny’s Recipe Book
I know it’s a bit of a cliché for a food blogger to talk about how a recipe came from their grandmother… but seriously. This recipe was inspired by one I found in my late Granny’s old handwritten recipe book – from back when there were no computers, and recipes had to be copied out of magazines and cookbook by hand, or given to friends on random scraps of paper… how beautiful is this?! It’s perfectly imperfect – spelling mistakes, scribbles, pages torn out – there’s even a recipe scribbled on the back of a letter from the DVLA! And just look at the handwriting!
There’s a whole section in the book for vegetarian recipes (my lovely Granny was obviously ahead of her time), so maybe I’ll share some more of her recipes another time. But first, this delicious vegetable cobbler!
I have simplified the original recipe a little, in order to make it work better for my busy life (ain’t nobody got time for two different kinds of flour), but the most important elements – the luxurious creamy sauce, the fluffy cheese scones, the colourful veggies – are all still there.
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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegetable cobbler recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.
- vegetables – obviously the vegetables are the most important part of this recipe! Choose a variety of colours and textures. I used broccoli, peppers, frozen green beans, and frozen corn (I love frozen vegetables for convenience, and to reduce waste). You can use different veg if you prefer – see below for some more ideas.
- milk
- grated cheese – I’m not generally against buying pre-grated cheese, but for this recipe it’s best to use a nice mature cheddar, and grate it fresh from the block.
- egg
- flour – just plain flour / all-purpose
- baking powder (to make the scones super fluffy)
- butter
- garlic granules – for convenience
- dried herbs – I used regular mixed herbs
If you fancy using different vegetables in your veggie cobbler, there are lots of things that would work well:
- leek
- onion (red or white)
- asparagus
- frozen peas
- mushrooms
- courgette (zucchini)
- cabbage
- sweet potato
To be honest, almost any vegetable will work well – this recipe is a great way to clear out the fridge!
Becca’s Top Tip
If you’d like to up the protein content of this vegetable cobbler even more, you could also add a can of chickpeas, lentils, or your favourite kind of beans.
🖨️ Printable Instructions
Vegetable Cobbler (with cheesy scone topping)
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
For the creamy vegetable mixture:
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 1 head broccoli
- 2 bell peppers (I used orange and red)
- 100 g (~ 3 1/2 oz) green beans (I used frozen)
- 130 g (~ 1 cup) sweetcorn (I used frozen)
- 30 g (~ 2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons plain flour (all-purpose)
- 450 ml (~ 1 3/4 cups) milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs (I used mixed herbs)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the scone topping:
- 165 g (~ 1 cup) plain flour (all-purpose)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 70 ml (~ 1/4 cup) milk
- 100 g mature cheddar cheese, grated (~ 1 1/4 cups when grated)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Dried parsley, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- First, wash any fresh vegetables, and cut into bitesized pieces. Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan, and add the vegetables. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are fairly soft (the broccoli should still have a bit of bite to it). If you find that the vegetables are starting to brown, turn the pan down a little.
- While the vegetables are softening, prepare the creamy sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add a couple of Tablespoons of flour. Combine to make a paste (called a roux), and cook for it a couple of minutes, stirring regularly, just to cook the flour.
- Add about a quarter of the milk at a time, each time stirring the mixture until it comes together into a smooth, cohesive paste before adding more milk. If you’d like more detailed instructions, including photos showing the sauce at each stage, you can check out my simple white sauce recipe.
- When you’ve used all of the milk and you have a smooth white sauce, add the garlic granules and dried herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
- Add the white sauce to the cooked vegetables, and mix well. Set aside.
- To make the cheesy scones, add the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix with a fork.
- Add the lightly beaten egg, milk, grated cheese, and olive oil, and use the fork to bring the mixture together. You should end up with a slightly sticky dough – you can add another splash of milk if the mixture seems too dry.
- Transfer the creamy vegetables to a baking dish (mine measured approx. 8 x 8 inches), and scoop rough dollops of the scone mixture on top. I made 4 rough scones in total.
- Bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 25 minutes, or until the scones are firm, and golden brown and crispy on top. As soon as the cobbler comes out of the oven, I like to add a sliver of butter to the top of each scone – it melts right onto them, and really brings them to life. I also like to add some dried parsley for colour.
- Serve the cobbler straight from the oven.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
If you need to, I would recommend constructing the recipe fully, but waiting to bake it until just before serving. Store it in sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to bake. It may take a little longer to bake if the mixture is cold from the fridge.
Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave – although bear in mind that the cheesy scones taste best fresh from the oven.
This veggie cobbler is a complete meal, and doesn’t really need any side dishes. However, if you would like some variety, a few good side dishes could be a green salad, or some crispy potatoes.
I made this after seeing it in one of your email blasts, and it’s incredible! I went back for seconds.. and thirds.. (disregarding my previous thought of saving some for lunch tomorrow 😂). A great way to use the veg in the fridge (I included butternut squash, cauliflower, and mushrooms, too). I added some chilli flakes as well (we like spice in this house). Thank you for such an interesting idea – love that your recipes include items that are usually already in your kitchen!
What a lovely comment, thanks so much Em! And I love that you made it your own – I’m a big fan of using what you have :)
This was amazing! Made it with gluten free flour and it turned out great!
Great to hear, thanks Vandana!
I tried this and the filling turned out great! I’m not sure what i did wrong with the topping but was Not so good. it was my error, I’m sure. I’ll practice making just the sconey biscuit things by themselves but the filling was a delight!
Sorry the topping didn’t work so well for you, I’d be interested to hear if you have more success next time in case there’s any issue on my end. It usually works well for me :) Glad you enjoyed the filling anyway!
Absolutely loved this recipe.
My family couldn’t get enough.
More than 5 🌟Stars.
Thank you so much Anita!
Excellent recipe, worked well & delicious
Thanks so much Brian!
I haven’t tried this yet, but I have given it top rating, because I know just by looking at it it’s going to be yummy. Why, because, I adore cheese and veg together, but I’ve never thought of putting scone topping, (which is also cheesy 😋). Thank you in advance. I’m always looking for unusual vegetarian recipes.
Keep the lovely cheeses recipes coming.
Sending best wishes to you from the UK. 🌈
Thanks Angela! I’m in the UK too :)
Only made the Cobbler as I had already made the stew ( Mediterranean veg and chickpea) . Worked perfectly , not dry at all. I added some paprika, sage and parsley for extra flavour. Will definitely make this dish again.
Sounds great, thanks Patricia!
Thank you
for a fantastic recipe! From the first time I tried it, we just loved it. I am vegetarian but not my hubby. He loved it and even make it a meatless day. I made it for my vegan kids, only substituting the dairy with non dairy and omitted the egg. Another huge hit!
Thanks so much Truida! :)
I’m always looking for new recipes love trying them. This vegetable cobbler is definitely a winner! I made it the first time for hubby and me (I am a vegetarian
but not my husband) and then tried a vegan version for my vegan kids. Both times came out perfectly! Nobody wanted any meat or vegan meat with it, a very satisfying meal on it’s own.
Thanks for the lovely recipe!!