The Well-Sourced Life

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Hey there, friends! Today I want to share with you a recipe that I’ve been making for years – baked oatmeal. My family (dad especially) asks for it all the time when we’re together, and it’s something I feel like I’ve made a thousand times (and just made again today to make sure this recipe was exactly perfect)! 

I’m not an oatmeal lover, not even close actually. Stovetop oatmeal for me has always been in the “healthy, I should probably eat this” category but never something I craved or really wanted for breakfast. But this baked oatmeal is in a whole different category. It’s warm, nutty and just the right amount of sweetness without the mushy consistency of stovetop oatmeal. It can actually be cut into pie slices and served on a plate! So have I convinced you yet?

Let me go a bit further – it’s baked for 35 minutes, but then broiled with a tad of brown sugar on top of fruit, which has a similar crystallization effect to the sugar to flaming a Crème Brûlée. I’m not saying you’re having Crème Brûlée for breakfast, but I am saying that it is absolutely so yummy.

It’s also easy to throw together and great to eat for a few days in a row where you need a quick breakfast. You could definitely incorporate this into your meal plan if you’re trying to Simplify your Breakfast Routine (I have a separate post about how to do that – see here)! Of course, I love it best on the day that it’s made, it also reheats well for 2-3 days after you bake!  

WHY IS EATING OATMEAL SO GREAT FOR HEALTH?

So what’s the big deal about oatmeal? Sure, it’s “healthy” but what is so good about it? I did a little reading up – and the Healthline has a great in-depth article about all of the health benefits of eating oats. It turns out, oats are incredibly nutrient dense. We don’t typically think of grains (whole grain breads, oats, rice) as having very many vitamins and mineral nutrients – at least I didn’t. I mainly thought of them as a good source of fiber, and I had heard they were good for heart health and cholesterol levels but didn’t know why.

But in reality, oats have magnesium, iron, zinc, folate and several other vitamins and minerals in high quantities! They actually contain quite a bit of protein (per Healthline, 13g of protein in 1/2 a cup of dry oats), antioxidants and healthy fats too.

Without getting too much into the science of it (since I am not a nutritionist or a scientist), oats can help reduce the bad LDL cholesterol in your blood. They can also help moderate blood sugar levels after eating (again, per Healthline, this is because oats are a slow-digested food which does not rapidly release glucose into the blood stream. This makes it a much better alternative to white processed breads in that regard). Oats also keep you full for a long time, so it’s a great thing to eat if you’re trying to lose weight!

So now that we talked about how delicious, easy and healthy oats are for you (hah!) — let’s get you that recipe. 

Prep Time	5 MIN
Cook Time	50 MIN bake + 5 MIN Broil
Total Time	1 HR

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 cups rolled oats 
• 3 ½ cups milk of choice 
  • *regular milk, almond, coconut, oat, or any alternative milk can be used
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract 
• 1/2 Tsp Almond Extract
• 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup 
• 2 Tbsp butter, divided and cut into quarters 
• 1/2 Tsp salt 
• 3/4 cup fruit (berries, sliced bananas, apples or pears work very well!) 
• A splash of heavy whipping cream  (*optional)

Optional Additions: 

• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 
• ¾ cup any kind of nuts, roughly chopped
• Dusting of powdered sugar 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Pour the oats evenly into an oiled 9”x9” baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together the extracts and the milk. 

Pour the milk & extract mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the brown sugar evenly across the top of the pan then drizzle maple syrup on top of that. Add a dash of salt. 

Arrange the sliced bananas, berries, or other fruit of your choice on top of the uncooked oatmeal. Arrange the butter quarters around the top of the dish. Add the splash of heavy whipping cream (**totally optional, but yummy). Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar on top of the dish, particularly over the fruit pieces.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes in the center rack of the oven, then set the oven to High Broil for 3 minutes, or until the tops of the fruit have been browned and the sugar is crystalized. 

Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve and enjoy! Dust with powdered sugar if desired.