Those who have visited my kitchen, virtual or otherwise, are most likely familiar with my penchant for baked oatmeal! Months ago, I saw the idea of combining oats and quinoa from Cooking Quinoa–a fabulous resource for additional quinoa recipes, by the way–and I thought this could be an interesting spin on my standard of using all oats.
I waited a while to share this recipe, however. After participating in the Smart Balance recipe contest, I thought my friends might need a break from oatmeal…although I have several more varieties I will pass along eventually! Waiting also gave me a good chance to experiment with the recipe a bit. Notably, I have made this with the banana slices on the bottom and without and prefer it with the banana. Although the flavor from the banana is minimal, it does add a nice sweetness and also serves as a good base for the quinoa. Baked oatmeals made with quinoa tend to be a bit more crumbly than those made with all oats. The quinoa will cook into the bottom layer of banana which serves as a sort of tasty glue. Even my son who is not a big fan of bananas preferred it this way.
Additionally, as the fresh peaches and berries were dwindling towards the end of the summer, several people asked me if I made various recipes with frozen fruit. Generally, I tend to roll with the seasons and move on to other produce, like pumpkin. Fruit frozen at the peak of freshness is such a great option though, so I decided to give it a try. Typically, blueberries are my go-to frozen fruit, although I made this batch with frozen red raspberries and loved how they worked with the almonds. Feel free to use your favorite fruit, or a combination of several. Mixing up the nuts and/or adding coconut is something I like to do as well.
If you have thoughts of a new flavor combination that sounds appealing, feel free to comment. I have a few new ideas percolating but always welcome suggestions!
Raspberry Almond Baked Oatmeal with Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (see note)
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3-4 ripe bananas, cut into coins (enough to cover bottom of 9x13 pan)
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries, frozen and unthawed is fine
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 9x13 baking pan.
- Mix together the uncooked oats and quinoa, 1/4 cup almonds, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg. Then add milk, honey, melted coconut oil or butter, and vanilla.
- Cut bananas into slices and cover the bottom of pan with them. Top with half of the berries and cover with the oat mixture.
- Pour wet ingredients evenly over dry ingredients and top with remaining berries and nuts. (I sometimes add an extra tablespoon or two of the nuts.)
- Bake for 30 minutes or until mixture is set.
- Serve plain or with a drizzle of milk or cream over the top. Add a touch of maple syrup or honey if you prefer a bit more sweetness.
Notes
- After much experimenting, I have found that if I use just 1/4 cups of quinoa and 1 3/4 cups oats, my kids don't notice anything "funny" in their baked oatmeal and I enjoy the slightly nutty flavor it adds to the dish. Feel free to experiment to find a combination that you really enjoy. When in doubt, a quarter cup of quinoa is a great place to start!
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