Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal is one of our family's favorite breakfasts for fall weekends.

Compared to our usual stove-top breakfast oats, the extra step of baking the oats with a crumble topping makes pumpkin pie oatmeal feel really special. It is a warm cozy treat for shoppers who braved the chilly early morning sales. Or, enjoy a bowl while lounging in your pjs and catching up on your favorite t.v. movies. Impressive looking while simple to make and it doesn't use very many dishes. Now that's something to be thankful for!

Pumpkin Oatmeal with Cranberries in a blue bowl

Every time I make this recipe I tweak it a little to suit my mood or pantry. The original recipe calls for individual ramekins but I prefer serving family style from a casserole dish. Try it, play with it, and adapt it to suit your life. Thank you Rainy Day Gal for pointing me to this great recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 17 minutes Serves 3 - 4.

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¾ cup 1% milk (or milk of your choice)
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbs brown sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or ¼ teaspoon all spice, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger)
½ teaspoon lemon or orange zest
optional - 1 cup fresh cranberries, 1 teaspoon Stevia

Topping:

¼ cup pecan halves, minced
2 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbs brown sugar
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of zest

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In an oven-safe pot or small casserole dish, combine the pumpkin, milk and butter then mix in the dry ingredients. (the topping comes later) Place the oatmeal in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
While the oatmeal is baking make the topping. Use a fork to mash together the butter and brown sugar then stir in remaining ingredients. After 10 minutes sprinkle the topping over the oatmeal and return to the oven for an additional 7 minutes.
Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Suggested variations:

Use maple syrup in place of the brown sugar in the oatmeal
Toss a few dried cranberries or raisins on top for some added texture and sweetness.
Use a variety of nuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds are all great in this recipe.
Top each serving with plain fat free Greek yogurt - boosts the protein.
mix in slices of apple or pears, fresh or frozen berries, or top with orange segments

Lightly adapted from Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal on The Good Life Eats

Per Serving ⅓ serving: calories: 263, fat: 11.6 g., carbohydrate: 36 g., fiber: 7 g., protein 7 g., PP = 7