Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

It took me over twenty years to like oatmeal. I was traumatized by buckets of steaming mush slopped into bowls at summer camp. Slimy, gooey, and topped with raisins. Raisins? No thank you. I avoided the stuff for the rest of my childhood years.

Then there was that turning point, as there often is with foods you grew up hating and one day give another chance only to discover you enjoy it. Maybe even love it. My turning point was a bowl of oatmeal I had for breakfast on my first morning in Auckland, New Zealand with my sister. It was in a small, unassuming cafe, up a narrow flight of stairs to a second-story space with tiny tables overlooking the street below. I honestly don’t know how we even found the place, and I don’t remember what I ordered. But I remember taking a bite of my sister’s oatmeal. A warm bowl of oats, cooked to order, not slimy or mushy but slightly chewy and topped with fresh fruit.

Now I eat oatmeal for breakfast several days a week. I always cook it on the stovetop, never in the microwave, usually with cinnamon and sliced bananas. I’ve also fallen for no-cook oatmeal, soaked in yogurt and milk in the fridge overnight, mixed with fresh raspberries or diced mango. This baked version is a new favorite. Warm and hearty, still a breeze to put together, but somehow light and perhaps even a bit elegant. You can’t tell me this Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal isn’t pretty. Who knew oatmeal could be so lovely?

Of course, the possibilities are endless here, using any fruit you have on hand as the seasons change. This version was an homage to the last of the sweetest Northwest strawberries and tangy rhubarb. I’ll be sad to see them go, but I look forward to plump raspberries and blackberries and juicy peaches. They’ll be just as wonderful in this healthy breakfast treat.

Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup nonfat milk (or whatever you have on hand)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 cup (about 3 slender stalks) rhubarb, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. In a bowl, combine the oats, half the almonds, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, buttermilk, honey, egg, and vanilla.
4. Scatter the rhubarb and half the strawberries over the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the oat mixture evenly over top, then pour the milk mixture over. Shake the pan gently to move the liquid through the oats.
5. Place the remaining berries over top and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.
6. Bake until lightly golden and set, about 25 minutes. Serve warm with a drizzle of honey or syrup. Enjoy!