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Baked Oatmeal – It’s a Revelation!
Porridge is probably one of the most versatile and healthy breakfasts there is. Oats are so healthy, super cheap and really easy to prepare. Unfortunately porridge and I don’t get along that well. It’s a texture thing. I know some people that love porridge in its most basic form – oats made up with water and a little salt.
This is definitely not for me. It’s sloppy, a bit too savoury and has nothing to chew! I just can’t cope with sloppy oats, there’s a bit of texture there but not enough to get my teeth into and it just feels wrong. My kids, thankfully, are really happy with the very easily prepared porridge made up with milk and a bit of honey. Tastewise this isn’t any better for me. It doesn’t help that I don’t really like milk that much!
To get around all these (self made) obstacles I fill my porridge with fruit, make it up with water and mix in a dollop of yoghurt for a bit of creaminess. It’s a great breakfast but it can be a bit time consuming so I got a bit excited when I came across the idea of overnight oats made in the slow cooker. Breakfast with minimal effort in the morning is my ideal.
This discovery led me to a lot of wasted time on Pinterest checking out different ideas and recipes for slow cooked porridge and that led me to baked oatmeal. By my reckoning I would be able to make up my baked oatmeal the night before, stick it in the oven when I get up to get the kids ready for school and by the time everyone is dressed and ready to eat my porridge would be ready. So far so good, 10 mins of prep the night before means I get to eat a good and filling breakfast rather than chugging a cup of coffee and trying to grab a slice of toast before we have to get out the door.
Most of the baked oatmeal recipes I’ve seen online have called for an egg, or two but I’ve left it out. I tried using egg (admittedly a very small egg from one of our tiny chickens) but it made it too rich for me. I think it might work if I was doubling up the recipe so there was less than a whole egg per person but really I didn’t notice too much of a difference in taste or texture with the egg added.
I think it is a winner for cold autumn mornings. It’s filling, delicious and it is super healthy (unless you fancy coating the top with sugar for a crunchy, caramel topping!). It’s like pudding for breakfast, totally warming and satisfying. The cinnamon and sultanas give it a lovely sweetness. The oats and the nut butter give a nice creamy texture inside while the top and the sides get nice and chewy. I also like to sprinkle a few flaked almonds on top a few minutes before it’s finished cooking so they get nicely toasted but not burnt. Maple syrup also goes really nicely with this breakfast if you fancy something sweeter.
Laura Anne Bradley
5 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
35 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1/2 cup of Oats
- 1 apple, peeled and grated
- A handful of sultanas or similar dried fruit
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 large dollop of almond (or any nut) butter (totally optional)
- A small handful of flaked almonds
- 1 cup of water (can be replaced with milk or other milk substitute)
- Brown sugar
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180oC
- Mix all the ingredients (except the sugar) together in an oven-proof dish.
- Sprinkle a little sugar over the top if desired
- Bake for 30mins
- et voila! You have a breakfast that should keep you going all day.
I make my mix up the night before and put it in the oven so I can just turn it on when I wake up. I use a halogen oven which heats up almost instantly so for this I don’t bother preheating. If you use a regular oven you might need to pre-heat the oven before popping yours in. Also if you use milk to make yours up please don’t leave it out of the fridge overnight!
Do you manage to fit breakfast into your busy morning? We’d love to know more about your favourite Autumn/Winter breakfasts!
