This comforting baked oatmeal recipe—stuffed with nutritional bell-ringers such as apples, carrots, and walnuts—is a perfect meal solution for harried mornings when you don’t have the time or energy to hover over a pot of simmering oats. It’s also a perfect option for weekend brunches when you’re in the mood for entertaining. Bake ahead of time and reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through. Try serving with a couple dollops of thick yogurt and blueberries.
Tip
Using both rolled and steel-cut oats adds even more great texture. If desired, you can swap out the apples for pears and use other nuts such as almonds or pecans.
Dark delight
When using maple syrup for baking purposes, such as in this big-batch oatmeal, reach for the “dark” grade, which has more robust flavour and will therefore be more pronounced in the final product.
Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 mL) steel-cut oats
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) melted unsalted butter or coconut oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) large-flake rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsweetened large flaked coconut
- 1 large organic egg, whisked
- 2 cups (500 mL) milk or unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) maple syrup
- 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 tsp (6 mL) cinnamon
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- 1 cup (250 mL) grated carrot
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) turbinado or coconut sugar
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories443
- protein12g
- fat19g
- saturated fat8g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates60g
- sugars26g
- fibre8g
- sodium164mg
Directions
01
In small bowl, cover steel-cut oats with water and let soak for 2 or more hours.
02
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease a large casserole dish.
03
In 2 L casserole dish, stir together drained steel-cut oats, rolled oats, walnuts, and coconut flakes. In large bowl, whisk together melted butter or coconut oil, egg, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add liquid mixture to oats and gently mix until everything is moist. Gently stir in apples and carrot.
04
Scatter sugar overtop and bake until mixture is just barely set, about 40 minutes.
Matthew Kadey, MSc, RD
Matthew Kadey is a dietitian, nutrition writer, and recipe developer. He is also the author of Rocket Fuel (VeloPress, 2016) and Muffin Tin Chef (Ulysses Press, 2012).
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Turkey Enchilada Stuffed Poblano Peppers
In this enchilada riff, we stuff everything into a roasted poblano pepper shell, rather than tortillas, to pack an extra veggie serving into your meal and trim the starchy calories. If you can’t find poblanos, which are mild, dark green Mexican peppers, you can substitute green bell peppers. Flour power Made from nixtamalized corn (corn soaked in limewater), masa harina flour adds a touch of corny flavour to enchilada stuffing or a pot of chili.
Crab Cap Salad
These crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms can do double duty as a fancy starter for a casual dinner party or a light main course on any given night. Meaty and umami-rich portobellos serve as a holder for a light-tasting seafood salad. Gills begone Even though the gills of mushrooms are edible, they will darken and discolour everything they touch. Besides, after you scrape out the gills, you’ll have more room for stuffing. And don’t discard the stems; they can be saved and used when making veggie stock.
Curried Lentil Stuffed Squash
Serving saucy lentils in squash halves is a sure-fire way to elevate your plant-based menu. And, yes, the whole bowl is edible, skin and all. If desired, you can add dollops of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Spice of life Garam masala, a blend of spices traditionally used in Indian cooking, usually includes cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, cumin, and coriander. It’s great on roasted meats and vegetables.
Kartoffelknödel Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Toasted Bread and Spinach
“Germans do potatoes in general very well,” says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who now lives in Munich and has celebrated many an Oktoberfest there. “Knödel seem kind of rubbery. You don’t really think it’s potato when you first see it, but it’s tasty.” But he might be surprised to find that this alive -inspired version of Bavarian potato dumplings is made with a combination of potato and cauliflower, because as anyone who’s eaten cauliflower gnocchi knows, the low-carb vegetable is a great way to lighten up starch-heavy foods (and Biergarten menus). Happy Knödelfest! The original version of these snacks are so popular that it even gets its own food fest: Knödelfest, which happens in September in Austria, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Munich. If alive threw a Knödelfest, these dumplings would definitely be on the menu, served simply as snacks with sliced radishes and fresh parsley or dill, or topped with butter, beer gravy, or mushroom sauce. The dumpling test You can test one dumpling by shaping it and then boiling it before shaping the rest. If the water is lower than a boil and it still falls apart, add more starch to the batter before shaping another ball and testing again.