Baked Banana Walnut Oatmeal

Hi Everyone! Happy Monday and happy March! Even though the month started off snowy and icy this weekend, the official beginning of spring is less than three weeks away now! Hopefully the weather catches up with that soon! I wanted to stop by and share a super quick and easy breakfast recipe with you today. One of my favorite sweet breakfasts are banana walnut muffins, and this baked oatmeal is basically those flavors, but in a slightly lighter and healthier oatmeal version! It’s a quick breakfast to throw together and bake off in the morning and it keeps you satisfied at least until lunchtime! If your mornings are very busy, you could bake this off the night before and re-heat a portion every morning, or bake individual little oatmeal cups that you can grab for a quick breakfast on the go!

YOU WILL NEED

2 1/4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups fat-free milk

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 large ripe banana (or 2 medium sized), mashed

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Optional: 1 banana, sliced, to top oatmeal before baking

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract. Add in the rolled oats, brown sugar (this oatmeal is not super sweet so add in more sugar and/or honey if you like it sweeter), ground cinnamon and baking powder and stir well, until all ingredients are well combined. Mash a ripe banana (you want the banana to be ripe so you get lots of it sweetness in the oatmeal!) and coarsely chop your walnuts, add both into the oat mixture, and stir to combine. Preheat your oven to 375 deg F.

2. You can either bake this in a baking pan (I use one that measures about 8×10 inches), in which case you will want to very lightly spray it with cooking spray, then pour your mixture in (you can line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking, too). If you want extra banana flavor, add banana slices on top of the oatmeal before baking. Bake for about 25 – 35 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and the center has set (if the oatmeal begins to brown too much, simply cover it with some foil as it bakes). Or you can bake the oatmeal in individual muffin liners instead, in which case you will want to fill the cups about 3/4 of the way, and bake them for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until they have set and the tops are a light golden brown color. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then serve with fresh fruit, or milk, sprinkled with more chopped nuts!

(*Recipe Notes: If you prefer a sweeter oatmeal, add in some extra sugar, this isn’t overly sweet. You can also substitute honey for the sugar, if you prefer that. The riper the banana, the more sweetness it will add to the oatmeal, too. I use fat-free milk in my baked oatmeal to keep it on the lighter side, but if you want to give it extra richness and creaminess, use a mix of whole milk and half-and-half instead. And if you’re feeling extra indulgent, splash in some heavy cream!)

Happy Baking, Everyone! Have a great week!

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