Zucchini Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is a comforting and healthy make-ahead breakfast option for busy weeks and is great for a crowd! This zucchini studded version is reminiscent of warm banana bread and is just slightly sweet thanks to a sprinkling of chocolate chips.

How do we feel about baked oatmeal? Personally I’m a big fan because as an oat-lover, this is the ultimate hack for making it even more convenient. Throw it together on Sunday night (or Monday morning) and re-heat it for the next few days. I promise it tastes just as good – maybe even better because it’s so fast and easy.

If you have yet to experience this coziness, now is the time. This recipe is simple and contains mostly staple items. The addition of shredded zucchini is perfect if you have a garden and need another way to use it up.

Ingredients

I was lucky enough to get this beauty of a zucchini from a friend (it was a biggie!) but any size zucchini will work just as well since it’s shredded. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:

• Rolled oats (not quick, not steel cut)
• Ground flax
• Banana, an overripe brown/speckled one if possible
• Zucchini, shredded
• Milk (or plant-based alternative)
• Egg
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon, salt & baking powder
• Vanilla bean paste
• optional: walnuts & chocolate chips for topping

How-to Make Baked Oatmeal

This is similar to a muffin recipe in that you mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients, then combine them before transferring to a greased baking dish.

I find a ceramic dish to work best here to prevent burning on the bottom and edges and I used a 9″x7″ (it’s the middle size in my favorite baking dish set). You could go bigger or smaller but would likely need to alter the cook time. This yielded six nice thick square servings.

Just before baking you can sprinkle on nuts, dried fruit and/or chocolate chips to add texture (and because chocolate is never a bad idea). This is totally optional though!

Once you master this version, you can use the same basic recipe but switch up the zucchini for a different fruit or vegetable to mix things up. I’m already dreaming up a few variations: carrot cake, apple cinnamon, or maybe something involving pumpkin. What flavor combinations would you try?

Serve warm out of the oven (or reheated) and top with a drizzle of nut butter for ultimate satisfaction.

You might also like:

• Savory Zucchini Bread with Salted Honey Butter
• Espresso Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate
• Basic Banana Overnight Oats (+ 3 Flavor Variations)

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