Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

I love a good bowl of oats, but sometimes I want something just a bit, well, less like oatmeal. Enter: baked oatmeal. What?! You can bake oatmeal? Yep, yes you can. The texture of baked oatmeal gives me that bread-like texture of a muffin that I often crave in the mornings, but with a healthier twist!

Baked pumpkin oatmeal is nostalgic for me because I first made it when I was on maternity leave with my son. I knew I needed something easy but nutritious for those sleep-deprived mornings. I was also nursing and knew oats were a great option for breast-feeding mamas. My son was born in November and pumpkin just fit the season!

There are lots of recipes out there, but this is what I used with what I had on hand:

2 cups rolled/old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 cups milk or unsweetened plant milk (I used Trader Joe's coconut milk)

1/2 can of pumpkin (NOT the canned pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 egg

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup chia or flax seeds (I used chia)

Bake in a prepped 8x8 dish at 375 for 30 mins. Serve warm with syrup, butter, or fresh fruit. My favorite topping for pumpkin baked oats is Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter. Pumpkin on pumpkin. Add my pumpkin spice coffee to the mix and it's pumpkin on pumpkin on pumpkin. Whoa! Ok, maybe that's a bit much, but it is Fall after all. Enjoy!

Note: If you want more of a pumpkin flavor, use the whole can and just add another 1/2 cup oats. Also, if you want it sweeter, add another 1/4 cup of maple syrup.