Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

I am obsessed with this Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal right now!  It's so warm and comforting on these cool Fall mornings, and it fills me up all the way until lunch.  This is saying a lot, considering I'm currently nursing a 6 week old baby, and generally constantly starving.  Speaking of which, they say oats are great for your breastmilk supply, so this is the perfect meal for my fellow breastfeeding mamas.  To make it easier on my exhausted self, I make a full batch on Sunday evenings, and then just doling out individual portions in the morning all week to microwave.  It tastes just as good reheated as it does when freshly made!  However, if you want less, simply half the ingredients.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Recipe Adapted from The Kitchn

Yields 10 Servings

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp Butter, divided

3 Cups Steel Cut Oats

1 (15 oz) Can Pumpkin Puree

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 Cups Milk

5 Cups Warm Water

2 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Salt

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Heat a large Dutch Oven on the stove over medium heat.

2.  Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in the dutch oven, and once foamy, pour in the steel cut oats.  Stirring constantly, allow the oats to toast, for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, push all the oats to the side of the dutch oven, so that there is an empty space in the middle.  

3.  Drop in the remaining butter into the empty space, allow it to melt, and then add the pumpkin puree on top.  Do NOT stir, and allow the pumpkin to cook for one minute. Stir, and then add the brown sugar and all the spices into the pumpkin puree and stir until combined (keeping the oats still to the side of the dutch oven).  Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes.  

4.  Pour in the milk, water, vanilla, and salt into the dutch oven, and whisk everything together until well mixed.  Turn off the stove burner, put the lid on the dutch oven, and place into the preheated oven.  

5.  Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and take off the lid, and stir the oatmeal.  

6.  Serve with milk and/or maple syrup, if desired, or eat as is.  Refrigerate any leftovers.  

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size:  1/6th of Oatmeal

Calories:  292

Fat:  9

Carbs:  46

Protein:  8