Vanilla bean-pear baked oatmeal

I absolutely love oatmeal. I went through a phase a few years ago where I ate oatmeal for breakfast every morning, Monday through Sunday, all seasons of the year. No matter how hot it was in the summer time, it was oatmeal for breakfast. And even though breakfast wasn’t a meal I often felt hungry for, I still looked forward to my warm morning bowl the night before. I kept my oatmeal routine really simple: plain quick oats with a dash of cinnamon and a banana on the side, and on that rare occasion where I would actually feel a little peckish upon waking, I would swirl some nut butter into my piping hot grains. There’s just something so comforting and soothing about a warm bowl of oats. Perhaps it has something to do with the tradition of Ayurvedic medicine, whereby eating and drinking warm foods and beverages actually aids in digestion and calms the body from the inside out. I like starting my day like that: warm, calm, and collected. The creature-of-habit that I am, I actually have diverted from that morning routine a bit, but I still do enjoy a bowl of oatmeal often, just not every day.

Strangely enough, I didn’t even grow up eating oatmeal….maybe that’s why I developed such an affinity for it as an adult. My mom made us farina, or cream of wheat, when we were kids because that’s what she grew up on. Made traditionally on the stovetop with milk and a dash of butter and salt, cream of wheat was on the breakfast menu almost every school day. When I got old enough to make breakfast myself, I realized how much time and effort went into gently whisking the wheat grits into the warm milk and slowly letting the mixture thicken into a luscious porridge, so I started looking for quicker breakfast options to get myself to school on time. I didn’t really explore oatmeal until maybe the end of high school or college, but I sure learned right away that I loved the stuff. Not just because I could make it in the microwave in a fraction of the time I could make cream of wheat, but also because I loved the nutty taste and hearty texture. I felt like I had missed out on this treat for so many years!

Since my oatmeal discovery days, I have branched outside the instant oatmeal packs and I’ve fallen in love with all the varieties of oat grains: steel cut, rolled, quick cooking, etc. Each has a unique flavor and texture. My favorite by far still is the quick cooking oats, simply for the sake of convenience for a quick-fix meal.

But when I have more time, I love using rolled oats or steel-cut oats to make an extra special meal. And even more so, I have found a way to make the hearty rolled oat a quick breakfast by baking it into a healthy casserole-like dish. Baked oatmeal is a dolled-up version of the microwave or stovetop porridge. It’s thick, it’s firm, and it holds together like bread pudding. Just like any other oatmeal, you can make this sweet or savory, although I prefer my oatmeal on the non-savory end of the spectrum.

I love tossing in healthy ingredients like ground flax seed, chia seeds, finely shredded unsweetened coconut, and of course cinnamon for a nourishing base, then I like to sweeten it just a tad with fresh fruit or my favorite Neat Nick Preserves spreads. One of my all-time favorite spreads is the Vanilla Bean Pear Jam. Chunky and beautifully speckled with fresh, florally vanilla bean, it lends a lovely texture, sweetness, and aroma to the baked oatmeal. You can certainly use quick-cooking oats in the recipe, but I love how the rolled oats maintain their robust shape when baked; and, for the coconut, I love the thickness and subtle coconutty chew the unsweetened finely shredded coconut gives the porridge.

You can prepare this recipe as an individual serving, per the original recipe below, or you can very easily multiply the quantity into whatever serving size needed. It’s perfect made as a casserole for a brunch potluck! Simply bake it all together in a glass or ceramic dish and cut it into squares when you’re ready to serve it! And be sure to serve it piping hot with a splash of almond milk and a spoonful of more jam if desired.

Vanilla bean pear baked oatmeal

½ cup rolled oats, certified gluten free
1 tsp. ground flax seed
1 tsp. chia seeds
2 Tbsp. unsweetened finely shredded coconut
Dash of cinnamon
1 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
2 Tbsp. Neat Nick Preserves Vanilla Bean Pear Jam

Combine the oats, ground flax seed, chia seeds, shredded coconut, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pour in the almond milk and then stir in the jam until everything is combined. Allow oat mixture to set for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the mixture to thicken. When ready to bake, bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, or until the oatmeal begins to turn slightly golden around the edges on top. Serve hot and drizzle over more almond milk and jam if desired.