Baked Oatmeal

The temperature has turned to cold. Family and friends are gathered in droves. Thanksgiving is in a couple of days and you’re probably wondering what to serve all those people for breakfast. First thing that comes to everyone’s mind—breakfast casserole. Over done. High in calories (save those precious numbers for your turkey dinner). Heavy on the stomach. Try something new this year—Baked Oatmeal. If you have to, think of it as Oatmeal Casserole. Original. Low in calories. Light on the stomach. Best of all, it feeds lots of people!

This recipe is really easy. But, if you’re crazy like me, you’ll find a way to make it harder by making homemade applesauce—a key ingredient to the recipe. The great thing about doing it this way is that you end up with 2 great things instead of one. Just saying.

Baked Oatmeal
adapted from Cooking Light; serves 5

2 c. uncooked oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned work)
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. craisins
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. skim milk (sometimes I use 2%)
1/2 c. applesauce (jarred or homemade works)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 large egg beaten

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, and egg.
4. Add milk mixture to oat mixture and stir well.
5. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish and bake for 20 min.
6. Serve warm.

TIPS:
• Don’t like craisins? Substitute for other dried fruit or fresh fruit like blueberries or raspberries.
• Make the morning of. If you make this the night before, you’ll end up with something more like swiss oatmeal, aka, super soggy baked oatmeal. Not something you want for this recipe.
• This doesn’t save well. It dries out when you reheat, so be sure to eat it up the morning of!
• Large group? This recipe doubles well. Just the 2 of you? This recipe also halves well.