Mix Up Your Breakfast With Baked Oats

Start your day right with a whole-grains packed breakfast! Whole grains, like rolled oats, are nutrient powerhouses, containing: dietary fiber; essential B vitamins, including niacin and folate; and minerals like iron and magnesium.

Dietary fiber is believed to help reduce blood cholesterol levels and could even lower your risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Plus, whole grains can help you feel full for longer, letting you power through your morning without a rumbling stomach or trip to the vending machine.

What’s my favorite way of getting in a serving of whole grains before starting my work day? Oatmeal! Think oatmeal has to be bland and soggy? Well, think again. Our six snazzy baked oatmeal recipes are anything but boring. From new twists on old classics to favorite fall flavors, we’re certain you’ll find one or two to sneak into your breakfast line up!

Bake or break

It’s easy enough to throw a packet of oatmeal and some water in the microwave, but nothing beats a home-cooked breakfast. Cooking your own meals allows you to know exactly what goes into your food, letting you make nutritious choices you can feel good about. Our baked oatmeal recipes is full of nutritious ingredients like whole grains, fresh eggs, milk, fruit, nuts and even some vegetables.

Cook once and you can eat well all week! Baked oatmeal can be enjoyed the day you make it, making it perfect for Sunday brunch. It also freezes well so you can enjoy it all week long. Crumbled in a bowl with milk and microwaved or enjoyed in bar form on the run, these oatmeal bakes are chock full of good ingredients and are endlessly adaptable.

Our recipes keep the fat grams low by substituting applesauce for oils or butter, allowing you to add in your own sources of healthy fats, like nuts and seeds. Applesauce also adds sweetness, and stands in for most of the sugar in these recipes.

And though these recipes are a nutritious way to start your day, they don’t skimp on flavor! Start with our basic set-up recipe below as a guide and then try one of our six snazzed-up, certainly not snoozy variations.

Basic Baked Oatmeal

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1 cup dairy or non-dairy milk of choice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease or line a 9x9 baking pan or muffin tin.
2. cream together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract and applesauce until combined. Stir in milk.
3. in a large mixing bowl, pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir well to combine and moisten oats. Let stand for 5 minutes for oats to start absorbing the liquid.
4. Scoop into baking pan or muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Serve warm as is or crumbled with additional milk, sugar or other desired toppings.

The basic recipe is good on its own, but if you want more flavor, try these different variations. Simply add in the additional ingredients to the recipe above.

Chocolate Zucchini:

To wet ingredients, add 2 cups skin-on shredded zucchini (approx. 2 medium zucchini) when adding applesauce. To dry ingredients, add ½ cup of cocoa powder. After combining wet and dry ingredients, optionally add ½ cup chopped walnuts and ¼ mini chocolate chips.

Apple Pie:

To wet ingredients, add 2 cups peeled and diced apples (approx. 3 small or 2 medium apples) when adding applesauce. To dry ingredients, add an additional 1 tsp cinnamon and ¼ nutmeg. For best results, use a firm and sweet-tart variety of apple, such as gala or honeycrisp.

Pumpkin Spice:

To wet ingredients, add 1 ½ cup (approx 1 15-ounce can) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). To dry ingredients, add an additional 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg and ¼ tsp ground cloves, and 1 tsp ground ginger. After combining wet and dry ingredients, optionally add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

Carrot Cake:

To wet ingredients, add 2 cups peeled and shredded carrots (approx. 3-4 medium carrots) when adding applesauce. To dry ingredients, add an additional 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg.

Vanilla Chai Spice with Almonds:

Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming, but not boiling. Remove from heat and steep with three bags of black tea for 5-7 minutes. Let cool. Once cool, add to wet ingredients with an additional ½ tsp vanilla.

To dry ingredients, add 1 additional tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp ground cloves and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg. After combining wet and dry ingredients, optionally add ½ sliced almonds.

Blueberry:

To wet ingredients, add an additional ½ tsp vanilla extract and ½ tsp grated lemon zest. After combining wet and dry ingredients, carefully fold in 2 cups of whole fresh or frozen blueberries and optionally ½ cup walnuts or almonds.

Sara Vallejo is a self-confessed happiness, health and self-development junkie from Chicago. She writes professionally in a business development and marketing capacity, and as a volunteer for a digital nonprofit. Miss Vallejo is a passionate mental and holistic health advocate who believes that good health is an ongoing journey best undertaken with supportive peers. Sara’s areas of expertise include nutrition, weight loss, women’s health, mental health and disability issues. She is returning to weight loss and fitness following orthopedic surgery and is excited to encourage and inspire fellow Azumio community members and readers to achieve the best health they can.