I haven’t shared a “Pinterest Find” recipe with you all since the end of March, so I think it’s time for another!

Breakfast may be my favorite meal of the day. A cup of hot coffee, a selection of seasonal fruit, a blueberry muffin, fluffy pancakes, a bowl of oatmeal with a heaping serving of brown sugar, home fries with peppers and onions…definitely my preferred selection of goodies. But, if I ate such goodies every morning, I’d be five pounds heavier and feel guilty about the sugary and fatty intakes.

But this recipe doesn’t make me feel guilty. It includes some of my preferred breakfast items (all in one!), yet is somewhat healthy. 🙂

Baked Oatmeal Casserole

INGREDIENTS

2 cups oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnut pieces (I used a mixture of almonds and walnuts)
1 cup strawberries (any berries work)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.
4. Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar.

FINAL REVIEW: Not gonna lie, this dish doesn’t look super pretty when it’s done. But then again, it’s baked oatmeal so “pretty” probably shouldn’t be expected. Anyways, it’s fairly tasty! You get some sweetness from the chocolate chips, but it’s well balanced by the oats, nuts and minimal fruit in each bite. I look forward to keeping this in the refrigerator and having a serving or two each morning for the next few mornings (or at least after my days of traveling this weekend). I recommend giving it a whirl! You probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already anyways. 🙂

Recipe adapted from here.