Baked Oatmeal

I've been making this baked oatmeal for breakfast for a couple of months now, so I apologize for not sharing it earlier! I got this amazing recipe from my mom who found it in this cookbook. I had seen baked oatmeal recipes before but didn't give them much thought because I'm perfectly happy with my regular oatmeal + coconut butter + frozen blueberries. I'm so happy I got a chance to try this when my mom made it because it let me see the beauty of baked oatmeal! 

If you've never had baked oatmeal before it does have a slightly different texture compared to regular oatmeal. But it is also very delicious and this recipe is surprisingly healthy (take a look at the ingredients!). Mark has been loving this and right now definitely prefers it over regular oatmeal. A bonus is that you can throw this together on the weekend and  then you've got quick breakfasts to reheat throughout the week. 

This is the sort of recipe you could definitely modify by substituting different ingredients for those listed in the original recipe. I haven't messed with it much because we both love it as is! 

Baked Oatmeal

serves: 8-10 (can also be halved and baked in an 8x8 square baking dish to serve 4-5)

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 cups rolled oats (for gluten-free make sure the oats are certified gluten-free)
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 apples, cored and grated (I grated them on a cheese grater and the peels came off in the process)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup honey
• For Serving:  Mark likes his topped with some maple syrup and honey yogurt. I like it plain or with frozen blueberries and almond milk. Get creative! 

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, raisins, walnuts, grated apples, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Make sure the apples are distributed evenly throughout.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, almond milk, eggs, and honey. Do your best to incorporate the honey.
3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
4. Transfer the mixture to an ungreased 9x13 baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and put in the refrigerator.*
5. Take the oatmeal out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350F. Once preheated, bake the oatmeal for 30 to 40 minutes until lightly golden on top. Be careful not to over-bake or it will dry out.
6. Cut into slices and serve in bowls with toppings of choice.
7. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. 

*At this point you can leave the unbaked oatmeal in the refrigerator over night if desired. This makes for a delicious breakfast in the morning. If you don't want to wait until morning, I've always let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before baking. I'm sure you could bake it immediately and it would turn out great, though perhaps not exactly the same texture.

recipe slightly adapted from Sleep on It