Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Seeded Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal has such a special texture.

Soft and yet crunchy.  Tender and yet not soggy.  And with all the added seeds in this oatmeal, it definitely comes loaded with plenty of fun textures.  Being that it is prime rhubarb season, I thought you should have a fun breakfast/brunch dish that showcases rhubarb and it’s buddy, the strawberry.

How to Prepare Baked Oatmeal

First off, you will toast off a sheet pan of rolled oats.  Ever wondered what the difference is between rolled oats, instant oats and steel cut oats?  Then you may want to check out this great article here! Once it is golden and lightly toasted, it will get added to a pot of water.  After cooking on the stove top till thickened and softened, all the seeds get added in: hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds.  So you will love that this oatmeal is packed with fibre, protein, and good fats.  So healthy, but tasty too. 

Next you will fold in 3/4 cup each of chopped fresh rhubarb and fresh strawberries. Save some of each for the finishing the top of the baked oatmeal before it goes into the oven. Yes, you could definitely make this with thawed frozen rhubarb.  Just ensure that the rhubarb is thawed, patted dry and tossed in 1 tbsp of flour to soak up any extra juices. Spoon the oatmeal mixture into a sprayed or greased baking pan or pie plate and smooth the top.  At this point you can gently press the reserved berries and rhubarb over the top of the oatmeal.  You can pop this into the warmed oven and in no time you will have the most lovely baked oatmeal.  It makes a perfect breakfast during the week.  You can bake it all off, and just take some from the dish each morning and re-warm it to return the crunch.

Taking the Baked Oatmeal to the Next Level

As I mentioned, this is already a great breakfast oatmeal option.  But what if you want to feed the family a fun brunch treat on the weekend?  Then you should brûlée the oatmeal!  A sugar topping added to the baked oatmeal creates the best crunchy layer that actually cracks as you break through it.  You will sprinkle 1/4-1/2 cup (depending on how much sugar you want to use) of sugar over the baked oatmeal and then you will place under the broiler till it has turned into a wonderfully crunchy crust.  There is no sugar in the actual oatmeal, since this top layer of sugar is more than enough.  If you don’t want to bother with the brûléeing step, feel free to fold 1/4 cup of sugar throughout the oatmeal with the fruit before baking it.

How to Finish This Oatmeal

To make this a special brunch dish, you only really need a few finishing touches.  Greek yogurt, maple syrup, more cut up fruit, or even whipped cream, if you are feeling indulgent!  Sprinkle some chocolate chips or cocoa nibs over everything for extra flavour and crunch.   As I mentioned earlier, if you are making this to eat during the week, you can spoon some into a small baking dish, sprinkle some turbinado sugar over it and bake till warm and the sugar gets all caramelized. Instant sugar crust!

You will find that this recipe easily halves, so go for it if there are only two or four of you at home.

Happy Brunch!

This recipe is inspired by my winter Baked Seeds and Dried Currants Oatmeal Brûlee    

Some other great Rhubarb options for Brunch would be my:

Rhubarb Curd, Lime and Honey Strawberry Crepes 

Strawberry Rhubarb Jalousie   

Rhubarb, White Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding

Love Jen

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Strawberry Rhubarb Seeded Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is first toasted in the oven, which gives it a fabulous nuttiness. Then after a quick stove top simmer in water, seeds and fresh rhubarb and strawberries are added, and everything is put into a baking dish and baked till perfectly cooked through. Sugar is added to create a crème brûlée top. Just add maple syrup infused skyr or yogurt, and you have a fabulous Spring brunch!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword oatmeal, rhubarb, strawberries

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup flaxseeds
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar only if you are not going to include the Brûlée step
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 3/4 cup chopped rhubarb

Brûlée Topping

• 1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar
• maple syrup for serving
• plain skyr or greek yogurt for serving
• chopped fruit for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F
2. Place the oats on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally till they smell toasty and are golden brown. This shoudl take about 10 minutes. Keep the oven on.
3. Meanwhile bring the water to a boil. Add the toasted oatmeal and the salt. Stir and drop the heat to a simmer until the oats are softened and thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in all the seeds, cinnamona and vanilla. Also fold in the 1/4 cup sugar if you are not going to be brûléeing the top of the baked oatmeal. Reserving some of the chopped fruit for the top, fold the rhubarb and strawberries into the oatmeal mixture.
4. Transfer the mixture to a wide baking dish and smooth out the top. Gently dot the top of the top of the oatmeal with the reserved chopped fruit.
5. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until all the excess water has evaporated and the top is lightly browned and just firm to the touch. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Don't let it totally dry out though.
6. Remove the baking sheet and oatmeal from the oven. Turn the oven to broil.

Brûlée Top, optional

1. Evenly sprinkle the sugar over the top of the oatmeal, using at least 1/4 cup of sugar. You can use up to 1/2 if you want it especially sweet and crunchy.
2. Place the dish on a rack set 4-6 inches under the broiler. Watch, until the sugar has melted and caramelized. It should be nearly but not entirely burned. Carefully removed and serve.
3. To serve: combine 3/4-1 cup skyr or Greek yogurt and 3 tbsp of maple syrup and dollop some on each serving. Add extra chopped fresh fruit, or whipped cream, or anything else you would like

Recipe Notes

You can bake off the oatmeal ahead of time. Then simply warm it in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes before brûlée-ing the top with the sugar.
Or you can bake the oatmeal and just serve it with the yogurt. If you do so, then you may want to fold in some sugar as state above.
Or you can take individual servings and place them in smaller baking dishes and warm as described above and then brûlée it.
Feel free to halve this recipe.