Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal With Greek Yogurt

When it comes to breakfast, I'm most likely to get excited about egg dishes, like eggs Benedict, interesting takes on eggs Benedict, veggie-laden omelets, and egg sandwiches on soft rolls. I rarely get excited about things like oatmeal. And I won't even claim that this particular oatmeal recipe is going on my favorite breakfast dishes list. But I will say that it is flavorful, warming, and filling -- and that's just what I need in the morning before embarking on my 45-minute-plus walk/T-ride to work.

I'd been eating toast with avocado slices or bagels with cream cheese until I made this oatmeal. My other breakfasts would have my stomach grumbling shortly after I arrived at work, but the oatmeal keeps my stomach quiet until almost 11. That's when I dig into a granola bar, homemade granola, or something similar for my second breakfast. (And usually shortly after that there are tons of tastings in the kitchen -- which equals lots of stuff to keep me full for the rest of the day.)

I first read about this baked oatmeal on The Clean Plate Club and followed Alicia's link back to the kitchn, where I found the original recipe. I modified the recipe slightly, mainly subbing Silk for milk and serving the sweet, spicy oatmeal with tangy Greek yogurt. (The Greek yogurt packs some extra protein.)

The recipe is fairly hands-off, especially for steel-cut oats, which were pretty much my nemesis when I worked at Flour. (I can't tell you how hard it is to bake cupcakes, prepare tarts, and finish cakes while constantly running over to the stove to stir oatmeal.) It requires a little mixing on the stove and then goes in the oven for about a half-hour. After that, you can let it cool, store it in the fridge, and simply microwave a serving each morning.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal With Greek Yogurt (adapted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles via the kitchn)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups Silk Vanilla Soymilk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Greek yogurt
Maple syrup

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Stir in the oats, and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, until they look and smell toasty.

Create a well in the center of the oats and drop the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the well. Add the pumpkin puree, and fry it in the butter, stirring after about 1 minute.

Stir in sugar and spices, and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until puree darkens sightly.

Stir in soymilk, water, vanilla, and salt.

Cover pot, transfer to oven, and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove pan, uncover carefully, and stir oatmeal. Oatmeal will look loose, but it will thicken as it cools.

Serve warm, or let cool, refrigerate, and reheat in microwave. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

It's not nearly as good as pumpkin pie, but it does make for a hearty breakfast. And I suppose it's more acceptable to eat oatmeal for breakfast.

After making this baked oatmeal, I am interested in finding other baked oatmeal recipes to simplify my mornings. If you have any suggestions, please let me know!