It’s the time of year when we’re all looking for things that will carry us through five months of subzero temperatures and accompanying cabin fever. This Baked Oatmeal with Maple Sauteed Apples is a delicious coping strategy in a bowl. Like digging into a warm oatmeal cookie, this hearty breakfast is comfort food at it’s finest.

Baked Oatmeal ingredients, what you need for baked oatmeal — You likely have these ingredients on hand.

Made with simple ingredients, you likely have most of these staples on hand at all times. Although it’s not quite as fast as the instant stuff you find in a box, it’s definitely much tastier and it takes less than five minutes to assemble and pop in the oven. That means I regularly whip this up on a weekday morning instead of giving it weekend only status. Once it’s in the oven, I can get on with the rest of my morning until it’s ready to be served. Just in case pumpkin is your thing, you can find a delicious pumpkin porridge recipe here. But back to this oatmeal….

Assembling the baked oatmeal takes less than five minutes.

The Maple Sauteed Apples that accompany this can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator and then warmed up quickly before spooning on top of the baked oatmeal. If you are in a rush, or just want to change up the topping though, you can also add sliced strawberries and bananas on top.

This dish keeps beautifully in the fridge and warms up easily in the microwave the next day. Consider doubling the batch and baking in a 9×11 dish if you want enough to get your whole family through the week. If you’re looking for a vegan option, my good friend Gwen over at Delightful Adventures has an incredible baked oatmeal with apples too!

Baked Oatmeal with Maple Sauteed Apples

Course Breakfast

Ingredients

3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 apples (Mix of Cortland and Honeycrisp)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsps water
2 tbsps butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Butter a 9 inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and melted butter. Then stir into oat mixture until well blended.
Spoon into prepared baking dish, and bake in oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until set. Scoop into bowls and top with warm milk and warm sauteed apples
While oatmeal is cooking, peel, core and chop apples into 1/2 inch pieces.
In a large covered skillet, cook apples with 2 tbsps water over medium high heat until soft. (less than five minutes)
Remove lid, and add butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and chopped nuts. Saute over medium heat for another five minutes until liquid has evaporated. Spoon over warm baked oatmeal, or store in refrigerator in an air tight container for up to a week.