Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

There are two reasons that I don’t put much about my non-recipe life on these pages: 1) It’s boring, and 2) What I would have to say would sound suspiciously like complaining. There’s no room for complaining, just because there’s very little room for new recipes in the average day/week/month.

So, my day job has become all-consuming, which is frustrating and uncomfortable. I simply don’t get days off (including weekends and holidays), and I’m not a naturally energetic enough person to come home from work and do a bunch more stuff, like baking or writing or laundry. I’m still going to try, though.

And here’s this great baked oatmeal! There are lots of recipes out on the Information Superhighway for things like this, and for good reason. It’s easy and delicious, a satisfying breakfast with plenty of late season pumpkin flavor. (I’m not tired of pumpkin and its accompanying spices yet, but, then again, I haven’t had much chance to get overwhelmed.)

I love oatmeal, so putting some of my other favorite flavors with it and putting it in a pan for a lovely, hearty dish is super fabulous. You can customize this dish to your taste, of course. I like the pecans I put in, but you could leave them out or swap in walnuts, chocolate chips, or dried fruit. 

This dish goes together in about the time it takes to preheat the oven to bake it. If you have a bit of extra time some morning, this is a great way to meet the day. The leftovers are good reheated, too, so bake once and enjoy for a few days. That is if you have few enough people eating it to save some for later.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned or quick oats)

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin puree

½ cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, or grease it with butter or oil.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the oats, Pumpkin Pie Spice, baking powder and salt. Toss together to combine.

3. In another bowl, beat together the sugars, milk and egg with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree.

4. Stir in the oat mixture until well combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes, or until set and no longer liquid in the middle. Serve warm.

Makes about 6 servings. Leftovers keep well covered in the refrigerator. Reheat to serve.

Another recipe like this one: Apple Baked Oatmeal with Walnuts and Cranberries,

Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal