The folks from Sprouts Farmers Market challenged me to create a delicious heart-healthy recipe to help celebrate the last few days of February which is National Heart Month. I knew immediately that I wanted to share my baked oatmeal recipe. Oatmeal is a good source of magnesium, zinc, protein and fiber. It can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. Now, I’ve traditionally done this with dried cranberries and apricots but decided to mix things up a bit and give it even more heart-health benefit so I added raspberries. Not only did they make a delicious dish even more delicious-er :), but raspberries are an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and manganese, and in a healthy diet have the potential to lower your risk of heart disease.
Now, I’m not always posting the most healthy recipes – I realize that. And I think it bears repeating that, as with everything in life, moderation is key. The original recipe contains a stick of butter – gasp! BUT, I’ve also given you the option to replace that butter with applesauce, which is a delicious substitution that cuts way down on the fat.
This Baked Oatmeal is an absolute favorite breakfast of mine. I’ve been making it for years. It’s so different than oatmeal prepared the traditional way. Baking it gives it a granola flavor that I really love. And the truth is you can add just about anything as a mix-in. Other berries, nuts, and dried fruits all work great – just about anything to suit your taste. Give it a try! I know you’ll love it… and your heart will too! 🙂 And be sure to check out a host of other heart healthy foods on Sprouts’ website.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted (or ½ cup applesauce for a lighter version)
- 1 cup raspberries or other favorite berry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray an 8x8 inch (or 9 inch pie dish) with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir the oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla, and eggs. Add the liquid to the oat mixture and mix well. Add the butter ( or applesauce) and mix well. Fold in the berries and pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
This post is sponsored by the folks at Sprouts Farmers Market, but the opinions expressed here are my own. 🙂
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Just for anyone wondering – I swapped regular milk for almond milk (1:1) and used quick oats instead of old fashioned (added about 1/4 cup more oats) and it turned out pretty well! Super delicious recipe!!
Thanks for sharing that, Chloe!
If using frozen fruit do you thaw first
I think it would be best. Enjoy!
I use this recipe all the time with various fruit! Thank you!
Glad to hear you’ve gotten some great use out of this one! I’d love to hear what other fruit you’ve used.
Can you use quick cooking oats in this recipe? It’s what I have on hand.
You should be able to, but may have a slightly different texture.
Just put this in the oven! I know it’s going to be delicious. It’s easy to forget the cinnamon because it’s in the list of ingredients but not listed in the directions. Thankfully, I’m not a rookie and had all the ingredients on the countertop and noticed it at the last minute! I love your recipes and have made several during these last 2 years. Thanks so much!
Thank you, Sylvia! I’m so glad to hear you’ve found lots you enjoy! (And I got the cinnamon thing fixed. Thanks for letting me know!)
Can I make this with steel cut oats ?
Steel cut oats take considerable more time to cook, so I’m not sure they would work in this recipe without being tough.
Made this this morning….it was really good. However…cut the brown sugar in half, increased the raspberries, used unsweetened applesauce, skim milk. Might as well have a delicious breakfast guilt free!
I’m not mad about that at all, Janet! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can you make it ahead and freeze it uncookedd to bake later?
I’ve not tried that, but I’m not sure it would work.
Everyone loves this. I have 4 boys and this disappeared in a day. We’ve done it with raspberries and cherries and LOVED it with frozen cherries in it. Some have said “this would be good without the fruit” so now I double it and push the fruit down in the mix on 1/2 of the side, because we’re not wasting good cherries on those who don’t appreciate them. 😉
Ha! Love that! I’m so glad y’all have enjoyed this one! I’ve got to try it with the cherries!
Is it meant to be so crumbly? I followed the recipe exactly, and it just crumbled apart once baked. Even more so when we reheated the next day.
With a stick of butter, 2 eggs, and a cup of milk, I’ve not really had much trouble with it being crumbly. Did you use the old fashioned oats?
My kids love this, one said “This would be good even without fruit.” I’ve been trying to get them away from packaged oatmeal, this is the first baked oatmeal that worked!! The last time I made it, it was gone that morning, so its going to be doubled this next time to try to get some to last for 2 days! 🙂
Ha! So glad to hear they enjoyed it!!
Can this be doubled and baked in a 9×11 dish?
Absolutely! You may need to extend the bake time a few minutes.
Hello! CAn you replace the brown sugar with maple syrup? Or a date puree?
Thanks!
Absolutely!
Absolutely delicious! It was so good warm out of the oven and had it reheated this morning and it was wonderful…thanks so much for the recipe. Think I’ll try some other fruit too but I do love raspberries!
So glad y’all enjoyed it!!
Oh my word! I forgot he cinnamon and had half and half instead of milk, but this was amazing!
Isn’t it great!?!? So glad you enjoyed it!
This sounds delicious. I bet it would make a good dessert or after school snack for my granddaughter. Can’t wait to try it. I love butter, I’m sure it gives this a great flavor. But I’m trying to cut down in fat, I think I may try using half butter and half applesauce.
Great idea – that would be a perfect compromise. 🙂
Served this for dessert tonight with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, it was delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
YUM! So glad ya’ll enjoyed it!
Will this oatmeal keep well in the fridge for a few days?
Sure does! Reheats pretty well. It loses a little bit of the crunch, but it’s still great!
This looks delicious! Do you recommend eating it right away or can it be made the night before?
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
It’s so good right out of the oven, but it certainly reheats well too.