Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day for many reasons, the most important of which is oatmeal.  Always filling, never wanting, oatmeal is the humble goddess of breakfast foods.  People talk about pancakes and french toast, but if you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one breakfast food, oatmeal would win by a mile.  It walks the fine line between nutritious and decadent with grace.  This version includes bananas, my second desert island food.  Plus, you get to bake it on Sunday and have breakfast all week long.  Now come on and give oatmeal the love it deserves.

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Serves 6

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

3-4 extra-ripe bananas, mashed (brown to black in color, essential to good banana taste)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Coat an 8 x 8" baking dish with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine the bananas, brown sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and baking powder.  Whisk until smooth.  Add the milk and whisk again until smooth.  

2.  Stir in the oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips.  Pour the batter into the baking dish.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is no longer sticky.  

3.  Divide the oatmeal into 6 portions and refrigerate or freeze in resealable containers until ready to eat.  To reheat, microwave until warmed through, about 45 seconds.

This recipe is from Budget Bytes by Beth Moncel.