Fruity baked oatmeal: a recipe

Fruity baked oatmeal

Breakfast!

It's hard enough pulling something together every morning just for me and Mr. Ninj (thank goodness the Ninjette and Ninjino are pleased as punch to have oatmeal and dog food every single morning), but then you throw in some houseguests and it's enough to send even The Ninj into a tizzy.

Which is why I love breakfast casseroles. My favorites are the ones that you can assemble the night before and then pop into the oven when you wake up. But straightforward recipes with simple ingredients, like this fruity one, are also fine by me, as they take very little time to prepare.

I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest; it comes from Inspired Taste but they adapted it from 101 Cookbooks. I've adapted it a bit further (chocolate chips? gross), so it's definitely flexible and customizable.

I made it with strawberries (with more than a tinge of guilt, because strawberries are not in season here) and banana, but I think it would be excellent with blueberries as well (good thing I still have a crapload of those from last summer in my freezer -- yay me!). If you use blueberries, I'd recommend substituting lemon zest for the orange.

Unbaked

Just baked

Do you have any other breakfast casserole favorites? The Ninj wants to hear about them.

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Fruity Baked Oatmeal (adapted slightly from Inspired Taste)
This dish is best served warm and makes great leftovers -- just re-heat a bit in the microwave.

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, but I used almonds)
1 - 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups skim milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons melted butter
2-3 teaspoons vanilla
1 sliced banana

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, zest, five spice and salt, then add HALF of the berries and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla.

Pour the dry mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with non-stick spray. Place the remaining berries and, as well as the bananas, on top; pour in the milk mixture.

Bake for about 40 minutes (start checking around 30) until set and golden.