Apples & Bacon & Cheddar & Oatmeal…Oh, My!
When the family was here for Thanksgiving 2013, I made my first foray into Baked Oatmeal and have been hooked ever since. I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and since I had fresh cranberries from the farm I had visited, it seemed like a great one to try. The recipe isn’t too fussy & since that first pan of it, I have made it numerous times – the fruit would vary based on what I had on hand – cranberries, apples, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pears…all have been folded into the mixture.
Recently I have been thinking about savory oatmeal and even looked at recipes online – but nothing jumped out as “must try this.” I kept thinking of my go to baked oatmeal & wondered how to make it savory. Last weekend I mentioned my initial thoughts to Mom & we talked through some recipe modifications.
Last night, I gave it a go. I stirred up a pan of the oatmeal & popped it in the fridge for the overnight. This morning, I pulled the pan out of the fridge and popped it in the oven. I could hardly wait for the timer to ding and see if my “experiment” had worked. In a word, Yes! As I shared with others: Apples + Bacon + Cheddar = Delicious!
Savory Baked Oatmeal
1 1/2 c applesauce (unsweetened)
2 eggs
1/4 c maple syrup
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1 c milk (I used coconut)
2 c rolled oats (old fashioned)
1 apple (cored, peeled, chopped)
3/4 c bacon (chopped/crumbled crispy cooked)
1/2 c shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
- Preheat oven to 375 & grease 8×8 baking dish
- Whisk together applesauce, eggs, maple syrup, baking powder, cinnamon
- Whisk milk into wet mixture
- Fold oats, bacon, apple & cheese into mixture
- Pour into baking dish & bake 40-45 minutes (until golden brown)
(Note: can be mixed assembled the night before, pull from refrigerator while preheating the oven in the morning)
With the “full on” winter weather this weekend looking ahead into this coming week, this warm and hearty breakfast is a good thing to get my day going and the “stick to your ribs” staying power to keep me going through my mornings of back-to-back-to-back conference calls.
When I was little, a favorite oatmeal was a packet of the instant brown sugar flavored oatmeal at Grandmas house on the weekend while watching Transformers cartoons. While I still like that flavor (& a packet today takes me back decades), since then I have enjoyed so many different iterations of oatmeal – from the stovetop…to the crockpot…to the baked versions. What are your favorite ways to eat oatmeal?
March 3, 2015 at 9:52 am
Interesting… I don’t think I’ve ever had a savory dish with oatmeal as a main ingredient!