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2Looking for a great, seasonal breakfast for a crowd? Then you’ll love this strawberry baked oatmeal! I know I love the sweetness of the strawberries, the tartness of the rhubarb, the satisfying nuttiness of the pecans, all bound together by the oatmeal and sweetened maple syrup.
Have you ever made baked oatmeal? I’ve made oatmeal many times, but until recently, I hadn’t thought about baking it as a casserole. Now that I have, I know I’m going to be making it again. Not only this recipe, but I’ll be playing with other flavors and other combinations. It’s just so easy! Great for a crowd or for a nice, weekend breakfast with the family. We enjoyed it so much that I made it again on Memorial Day for the three of us. It was a rainy morning and just perfect to turn on the oven for a little while and bake this up.
Especially since I had picked up some more rhubarb at the farmer’s market on Saturday! One of the farmers there has a great rhubarb patch and always has some excellent rhubarb out for sale this time of year. (And she also knows I love it, so she makes sure I get some.)
Even though I like to let rhubarb shine on its own as in my Rhubarb Coffee Cake or pair it with other non-strawberry flavors as in my Rhubarb Orange Compote, I do still love strawberry and rhubarb together. There is a reason why it’s a classic combination! So I couldn’t let strawberry season go by without adding a strawberry rhubarb recipe to the site, which seemed a perfect excuse to make a seasonal oatmeal recipe. I like it when flavors and ideas come together like this. 🙂
A few things about the recipe:
How healthy is baked oatmeal?
Very! It’s full of whole grains and nuts. There is a wonderful layer of fruit in the bottom. And the sweetness is entirely up to you. My recipe uses all natural sugars which you can cut back or not use at all, depending on your tastes.
How should you serve baked oatmeal?
The simplest way is straight out of the dish as is. It is quite tasty without any accompaniments. However, you can pour some cream or milk (dairy or coconut/soy/almond) over to top to make it richer. Or you can add a dollop of yogurt – plain if you like it, vanilla, or flavored to complement the fruit that you used.
How long does baked oatmeal last?
I’ve made it a few times now, and it’s still good at 4-5 days. Once the oatmeal is cool, cover it with plastic wrap and put it into the refrigerator. When you want a serving in the morning, scoop out some into a ramekin, and put in a 325F oven for 10 minutes. A little milk over the top before you pop it in is a nice addition.
- 1½ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped toasted pecans, divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp table salt
- 2 tsp orange zest, or lemon zest
- 2 cups whole milk, can substitute low fat milk or coconut/soy/almond milk
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (or unsalted butter), melted
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb
- Preheat oven to 350F. Get out a 9x9 inch or similar sized casserole dish.
- Mix together all the dry mix ingredients in a medium bowl, reserving ¼ cup of the pecans to top the oatmeal.
- Mix together all the wet mix ingredients.
- Add the fruit to the casserole dish in an even layer. (Reserve a little to top the oatmeal if you wish.) Layer the dry mix over the fruit. Then pour the wet mix over it all, making sure to cover the oatmeal evenly with the wet mix. Press down any dry oatmeal you see. Sprinkle the reserved pecans and any fruit over the top.
- Bake the oatmeal for 30-35 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oatmeal is puffed and golden.
- Serve with extra milk or yogurt if desired.
An extra sprinkle of cinnamon over the top is nice.
The oatmeal will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Just scoop out a serving into an oven safe container and reheat at 325F for 10 minutes. I like to add an extra bit of milk in the ramekin while I'm reheating it.
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This looks so tasty! I love strawberry and rhubarb together! I’ve never tried baking oatmeal, It doesn’t come out dry?
Nope! So long as you use the 2 cups of milk, it’ll be more solid than a bowl of oatmeal but still not dry at all. Also, the fruit provides plenty of flavorful liquid to dish. The second day I do like adding some milk since the oatmeal will have absorbed the liquid by that point.
We do make baked oatmeal and we cut it in squares and then freeze — that way we have plenty for quick breakfasts. I do like your combination of the rhubarb and strawberries – they seem like they belong together. Next time I make a batch of baked oatmeal I’ll try your recipe!!
I haven’t tried freezing it yet, but it’s good to know it freezes well. Thanks! 🙂
Rhubarb and strawberry are such a perfect pair! Can’t get enough of them. 🙂
I can’t either. Especially now that local strawberries are in season.
What a perfect idea for rhubarb! I can’t wait to try this this season. xo, Catherine
I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy rhubarb! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
We absolutely LOVE the combination of strawberry and rhubarb here. I will confess, we’ve never thought to bake oatmeal, much less put strawberry and rhubarb in it. WOW does this sound good. It’s definitely on our must-make list now. Thanks for sharing!
I think once you try baked oatmeal, you’ll want to try all sorts of recipes with it. At least that’s how I feel. 🙂
Oh WOW I love this idea! I hade a few strawberry rhubarb pies last weekend and I have a little leftover rhubarb that I really didn’t know what to do with! Will definitely give this a go! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you! We loved this recipe and hope you do too. 🙂