Deep-Dish Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Oatmeal & Brown Sugar Crust

Roberta Reynolds

They say the best recipes are those passed down from family and friends, and this recipe proves it. I made a new friend, Sandy, at the gym this year. We often find ourselves in the locker room or hot tub at the same time (preparing for a grueling workout ha ha), and the conversation often turns to recipes. Sandy is one of those perpetually happy people, is friendly and kind to everyone, and always has a big smile on her face. She also has incredible recipe ideas. One day, she described a Strawberry Rhubarb pie with an oatmeal crust, and I was hooked. I love pie but am not the biggest pie crust fan, so I was drawn to that idea like a magnet. This recipe originated from one in Family Circle Magazine from 1982. Sandy added strawberries to the original, and I made a couple of small changes myself, and that’s what cooking is all about. Love somebody’s idea, then get busy and make it your own by adding your own touches. I intend to make it every chance I get.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 5

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST
3 cups oatmeal you can use either quick cooking oats or regular oatmeal. I used regular because I like the extra chewiness in the finished crust, and the oats get a little ground up I anyway if you mix them in a food processor, but up to you.
1 ½ sticks butter melted
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
FOR THE PIE
6 cups rhubarb preferably red, cut into one-inch pieces – here’s the thing about that: using rhubarb that is green skinned will still taste delicious, but the eye appeal will be umm, not that great.
4 cups fresh strawberries local if at all possible washed, hulled, and sliced in half
1 cup water
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup Minute Tapioca NOTE: you can also use ½ cup cornstarch. Both will do the trick, but tapioca is clearer, while pies thickened with cornstarch can be a little bit cloudy looking – both work so no problem with whatever you choose.
½ teaspoon salt
NOTE: The original recipe calls for the addition of ¾ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. I left them out because all I wanted to taste was the rhubarb and strawberries, but feel free to experiment if you’d like.

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST
If you have a food processor, this is a good job for it: Pulse together the oats, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter just until mixed.
If you are mixing by hand, just stir the whole works together.
Pat about 2/3 of the crust mixture into a 9-inch pie plate, going up the sides as far as you can. I used a deep-dish pie dish, so if you use a regular sized one, no worries – you’ll just have a little more topping left over. It worked pretty well to use a big tablespoon and coax the oats up the sides of the dish, so if your oats are not cooperating, you might try that strategy. Set the remaining topping aside until ready to bake.
FOR THE PIE
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
In a smallish bowl, stir together the Minute Tapioca (or cornstarch) and water. Let stand and do its thing for about three minutes. The reason for this exercise is to allow the tapioca or cornstarch to dissolve, and form for lack of a better word, a slurry.
In a Dutch oven sized pan, stir together the rhubarb, sugar, and salt. Stir in the tapioca (or cornstarch) and water slurry. Bring to a boil over medium heat, until thickened and bubbling, and let it boil for about one minute. NOTE: The rhubarb will not be tender or cooked through – this is a good thing. The first time I tried this recipe I decided to cook the rhubarb until it was soft…and then it disintegrated. The pie still tasted great but didn’t look all that hot).
Once the mixture is thickened, remove from heat and gently stir in the strawberries, just until mixed.
Spoon the mixture into the crust and sprinkle the remaining topping over the top of the pie. You might have too much filling if you aren’t making a deep-dish pie, which is another good thing. Just spoon it into a bowl and grab the ice cream!
Bake for 20-35 minutes, depending on whether you are using a deep-dish pie pan or not. The filling should start to bubble, and the pie should look like it is thickened and set. Check on the pie’s progress after about 15 minutes. If it looks like it’s getting too brown on top, spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and lay it gently over the top of the pie to prevent burning. That should do the trick.
Cool to room temperature before diving in. I refrigerated it overnight before slicing and it was good as gold the next day.