Every time I bring tried and true, well-loved and known recipe to events here in NJ I am quickly reminded that if you had not grown up in lovely Lancaster, PA you probably have been deprived of this favorite dish of mine! Last Friday when I brought this to a ladies event, women oo-ed and ahh-ed asking questions like “what is this?!” “what’s in it?” “It’s delicious, where’d you find this recipe?” This always surprises me because, back home, baked oatmeal is often seen on nice breakfast restaurant menus and even offered in some diners. It’s wide-spread and widely enjoyed. Baked oatmeal is an extremely versatile dish. For example, you can make it super healthy, or load it with diet killers (like sugar and butter); virtually any baked good add in can be inserted in it (any fresh or dried fruit, nut, spice, puree, etc.), and you can even bake it in different size pans – make personal sized ones in muffin tins, gift-sized versions in mini-loaf pans, or bake in a square or rectangle baker when serving for company. It can even be fancy enough to make the star of any breakfast/brunch entertaining.
My version is healthy (shocking huh?!) and delicious! It’s super easy, choose your favorite ingredients, mix them up, bake and mmMmm enjoy! I hope this becomes as beloved a recipe in your house as it is mine.
Rachel’s Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oil (use only applesauce here instead and liberally spray your pan with vegetable oil spray)
- 1/2 cup sugar (or less. Baked Oatmeal can even be made 100% sugar-free. Maybe add the sugar when having company, and nix most of it when eating it as a weekday breakfast)
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup soy milk or 1% (even skim works here!)
- 1/2 raisins, chopped walnuts, chopped apples, blueberries (make it your own! Any nut/fruit combo is delicious. You can even make it plain!)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus more for dusting.
Directions:
- Combine oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add oats, baking powder, milk, your selected add-ins, and cinnamon.
- Pour into a 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 pan (spray with non-stick if not baking with oil in your batter) and dust with cinnamon for presentation.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.
Baked oatmeal is great plain, with add-ins, in a bowl with milk, and even as a hot dessert with vanilla ice cream. Let me know your favorite way to enjoy this dish! Right now I’m on an apple-walnut kick.
