Quick Skillet Mixed Berry Crumble

Photo courtesy Half Your Plate

Eating more fruits and vegetables is definitely one of the top nutrition recommendations for promoting good health. In fact, for healthy eating,  half your plate should be made up of these foods. At the same time, though, shopping is not currently an easy task as most of us are trying to minimize our potential exposure to Covid. As a result, putting these on the menu can seem daunting these days.

Enter frozen fruit and vegetables. The varieties now available are fabulous. Both the nutrition and taste are top notch as produce is frozen at the peak of its nutritional quality which can make them a more nutrient-rich choice than fruits and vegetables that have been languishing either in your local supermarket or in your own fridge.

Here’s a quick yummy dessert for you using frozen berries. It’s from Half Your Plate, a super resource which not only offers recipes but also almost everything you might want to know about various fruits and vegetables. Check out the videos which show you various preparations including how to cut a squash. There are also basic facts about assorted fruits and vegetables, such as what they are, their nutritional content and how to store and prepare them. And for budgetary concerns, there’s a page for that as well.

Besides incorporating frozen fruit, fruit crumbles are a great way to use up fruit that is about to go spoil. Plus they are made from pantry staples, which makes them a kitchen hero for minimizing food waste! This quick crumble recipe, developed by Melanie Yelland, RD, RD Nutrition, takes only 30 minutes, providing a healthy dessert for you and your family any time of year.

If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to look for oats that are certified to be gluten-free.

Quick Skillet Mixed Berry Crumble

1 1/2 cups mixed berries, thawed if using frozen
2 tsp white sugar or preferred granulated sugar substitute
1/2 cup rolled oats, certified GF if needed
1/2 cup all purpose flour or oat flour (see note)
1/4 cup oat bran or more oat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted or more olive oil or coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 350º F.

In a small bowl, mix the mixed berries (along with their juices if using thawed frozen berries) with the white sugar.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, add the oats, flour, oat bran, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter and olive oil. Mix to combine.

In a small 6.5” cast iron skillet or loaf pan, press half of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Top with the berry mixture, then scatter the remaining crumble mixture over top.

Place the skillet on to a larger sheet pan (to catch any spillage) and place into the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and the fruit filling is bubbling. Remove, let cool for 5 minutes.

Serve on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings

Recipe Notes
Oat flour can be made by placing rolled oats into a blender or food processor and blending until they resemble a flour-like consistency.