Baked Apple Pear Oatmeal

Do you ever have a night where all that sounds good for dinner is breakfast? That happened to me Sunday evening. We weren't all that hungry that night, the kids were eating leftovers, and I just wanted a little something like a bowl of cereal. That happens to me occasionally too. But this time I wanted it to be warm so I was going to make some oatmeal on the stove. But then I had an inclination to create something better and this baked apple-pear oatmeal was born!

This is very simple so you will be really happy!!! I remarked to my husband who ate two bowls of this that it was so simple even he could make it.

Into the bowl went rolled oats, organic raisins, sucanat, cinnamon, and a dash of salt.

Then I added 4 cups of milk. I know it sounds like a lot but it will get mostly absorbed. I used 2 cups almond milk and 2 cups skim milk just because I like the vanilla flavored almond milk so much.

I was thinking of using just apples and when I was looking for a basic recipe to start with some suggested you could use pears so since I had the best of both worlds I chopped up my two apple-pears leaving the skin on and tossed them in the bowl.

Give that all a gentle but thorough stir.

Pour it into a two quart casserole dish. It will look very soupy like this but I promise it will turn out fine. You do want a little moisture left in there anyway. 

See! After I gave it a stir it was the perfect consistency. Other recipes said to bake for 40 minutes but I ended up needing 50 minutes to absorb some more milk. It is my oven. I am sure the temperature is off so begin checking yours at 40 minutes.

I topped my portion with some sliced almonds for a bit more crunch and a drizzle of agave but it was plenty sweet on its own and next time I won't use the agave. If you like it a little soupier then spoon some of the left over milk in the bottom off the casserole in with your bowl. I was so happy that the apple-pear kept a firm texture. I wasn't looking for mushy fruit! It was so delicious and I am sure there are other combinations you could do. If you don't have an apple-pear just use one or the other or mix both!

If you want to hunt down these delicious little portions of goodness they come dressed in these funny little protectors. Even though I purchased those first ones at Trader Joes a while back, I have since found them at Sams and at Wal-mart!

I am thinking this might show up at our house again on Saturday morning for breakfast! I am sure the kids would love it and it is nutritious and filling!

Two thumbs up for delicious and simple!

Baked Apple Pear Oatmeal

2  2/3 cups old-fashioned oats

½  cup organic raisins

1/3  cup Sucanat (or packed brown sugar)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups fat-free milk

2 cups lite vanilla almond milk

2 medium apples or pears, chopped (I used an apple-pear)

½  cup chopped walnuts or sliced almonds

        Additional milk, if desired

Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oats, raisins, sucanat, cinnamon, salt, almond milk, regular milk, and apples or pears in a large bowl. Pour into a 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Top with walnuts or almonds and additional milk if desired.

Notes: You can use all regular milk if you do not care for almond milk.