As I mentioned the other day, we went a little overboard when we were buying rhubarb for that pie. So I needed another vehicle for the fabulous red vegetable. And since we LOVED the pie, I thought we should try the strawberry-rhubarb combination, too.

I’m kind of obsessed with rhubarb now, if you can’t tell.

Crumbles are so easy, and they’re especially great for non-bakers. You don’t have to roll anything out, the topping only takes a few minutes to put together (and can be made ahead of  time), and it only has to cool for 15 minutes. If you can chop up fruit, you can do this.

I didn’t even make the topping properly (always read the directions, kids), but it didn’t matter. Crumbles: totally low-maintenance.

Something I didn’t really think about before I made this is that I hate strawberry pie. I’m not sure why, exactly, but it is just gross to me. So next time I should probably do a straight rhubarb crumble instead of the strawberry-rhubarb combo. But this is a good option if you’re looking for something a bit sweeter. And, like most things, it’s even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry rhubarb crumble (Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit, serves about 8)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar (a little less if your strawberries are super sweet)
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans or (husked) hazelnuts
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 pound strawberries
12 ounces rhubarb (preferably bright red)
(Recommended: Vanilla ice cream)

Stir together the flour, 2/3 cup sugar and salt. Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch pieces, then rub the pieces into the mixture with your fingers to make clumps throughout. Stir in the oats and nuts. Cover and refrigerate the topping.

Heat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 11 x 7 x 2 (2 quart) baking dish.

Split the 1/2 vanilla bean lengthwise and use the tip of the knife to scrape the seeds out. Add the seeds to a bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk to blend.

Rinse, hull and halve the strawberries. Rinse the rhubarb, cut off and discard the ends, then chop the remaining stalks into 1/2-inch thick slices. Add the fruit to the vanilla sugar and stir gently until fruit is coated.

Pour the fruit into the baking dish (make sure to get as much of the juice/sugar in there as you can). Sprinkle the topping evenly(ish) over the fruit.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.