Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered a reason to bounce out of bed in the morning and head for the fridge. I can shower and do those other morning things later; this food calls my name. Oatmeal will never be the same again for me. I’m not sure I can ever return to eating it boiled in a saucepan. Baking may be the secret to good oatmeal!

Just looking at the picture on a blog made my eyes widen. Blueberries, sure! They’re good in anything, or plain. But in oatmeal, baked so there’s a brown crust in places? That’s swinging so close to being a giant cookie I had to make it. I’ve seen recipes in the past and gotten excited until I read they also added banana or coconut or one of the other things I don’t care for. Those two I’m really picky about so they’re deal breakers. But blueberries on their own I could deal with.

Now of course I didn’t bounce out of bed to make it one morning. Heck no, I did it the lazy way by making it the evening before. A few hours after dinner I was thirsty and wandered out into the kitchen for water. Then I decided I wanted flavored water, and reached into the cupboard for Crystal Light (ok I’m a pink lemonade addict). The packets were setting next to a bag of dried cranberries my P.S. buys and forgets to eat (dried fruit has too many calories and sugar to make it a food in my mind).

Mix together eggs, applesauce and sugar

Cranberries made me think of blueberries, which reminded me that my P.S. had bought a huge bag of frozen wild Maine blueberries. And then *ding* I remembered the picture recipe I’d pinned to Pinterest of baked oatmeal with blueberries. Since it was down to the low 30s at night and had been raining for days, I thought a warm bowl of oatmeal might be a good way to greet the morning. That’s how I got to that point. The mind wanders mysteriously after 9 pm sometimes.

Whisk well then add rest of ingredients

I summoned up the recipe on my kitchen computer and it was incredibly simple. And easy to memorize, because I’ll be making this again and again! Turning the oven on to 350°F to preheat, I started to mix my breakfast dish.

I beat the eggs, milk and sugar together with a whisk, then added the rest of the ingredients.

Stir in oats, blueberries and rest of ingredients

I’m a brown sugar person, so I did change the amount of white sugar in the recipe. I put a few tablespoons (4 or 5) of brown sugar into the ¾ cup measuring cup, then filled the rest with the white sugar. I did about half and half.

I used 2% milk even though I usually use soy milk, being lactose intolerant. I’d like to try it with soy, but didn’t this first attempt. There’s always Lactase.

Spread mixture in greased 9×13 or comparable sized pan

The blueberries were small and super sweet. I eyeball-measured about a cup of them as I poured them into the oat mixture.  The recipe called for 2 cups but I knew that would be overkill with these little sweeties.

I sprayed my favorite 8”x11” baking dish, spread the oatmeal mixture, and sprinkled the brown sugar on top. I’d added the cinnamon to the oatmeal already; I didn’t put more on top.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

I baked the blueberry oatmeal for 40 minutes. It was browning around the edges nicely and looked done.

After a few minutes of cooling (and photographing of course) I tested it. Oh MY! I had to eat a bowl immediately! I poured about a half cup of milk over it and dove in nose first. This was heaven. I didn’t know oatmeal could taste so good!

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

For taking about 5 minutes to make (and that’s stretching it), this is a show-stopper of a breakfast. It was good in the morning, cold, then I microwaved a second serving to see how it stood up reheated. So I could report it to you, that’s my story. It was delicious either way! I will say it could use a little less sugar if you’re looking to cut calories a bit. I think ½ cup would be plenty. It might even possibly be good with a sugar substitute, but I haven’t tried it yet so can’t say for sure.

I will be making it again, using more of those amazing Maine blueberries in the freezer, as well as trying other fruits. I have frozen sliced peaches that are going to be my next subjects. I’ll thaw them first so I can dice them a little smaller. Stay tuned!

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar (or less depending on preference)
1 cup milk
3 cups of quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla or plain yogurt, or cream, or milk (for garnish)

Whisk together eggs, applesauce, sugar and milk.

Stir in oats, blueberries, salt and baking powder and mix through.

Pour batter into greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle top with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. (I mixed the cinnamon into the oatmeal instead).

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for several minutes before serving.

Top with your preferred topping of yogurt, cream or milk.

Serve warm.

Serves 4-6

Adapted from $5 Dinners