Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal with Crumble Topping

 

I have been waiting to make this for about a week now.  My sister-in-law sent me a link with the recipe, knowing that I am as in love with pumpkin right now as she is.  

I woke up this morning, freezing in my bed with a little bit of a sore throat and this was the perfect breakfast to start off the day.  There is something soothing about baking and the smells that come with it.  This smelled delicious, like fall in my oven.  And a warm, yummy breakfast was just what my scratchy throat needed. 
I don't know if this will make a regular week day appearance at our house because of the time involved.  It left me wondering if the oatmeal portion of the dish could be made in a saucepan then sprinkled with the crumble and finished in the oven to cut down the cooking time.  If we could do that, I might eat it every day.  But could you still call it baked oatmeal?  That just sounds good, doesn't it?  It sounds homey and soothing.  Boiled oatmeal just doesn't have the same ring to it.  

The oatmeal portion itself is actually pretty healthy, without much sugar, but the crumble is the reason to eat it, it's delicious.  We made the full recipe and I think next time I might half the recipe since there are usually only 3 of us in the mornings.  Although, if I try the leftovers in the morning and they held up well, that solves the time problem entirely.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal
Ingredients:
2 cups regular oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 T butter, melted
1  1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1  1/2 cups milk


For the Crumble Topping:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/6 cup flour
1/3 cup oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/6 cup almonds


Directions:
Preheat Oven to 350.  Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Meanwhile combine crumble topping, set aside.  After oatmeal has baked for 12 minutes, remove from oven, sprinkle crumble topping over oatmeal and return to the oven for 7-10 minutes or until oatmeal seems done in the middle (no longer runny).  Remove from oven and cool, slightly.  Serve with milk.

For the Crumble Topping:
Process in food processor or chopper until mixture starts to stick together (I don't worry about softening the butter here, just use it cold).  Or mix together by hand.

You can double (or more) this recipe.  The original recipe (for the topping) says it keeps well in the fridge for a couple weeks.

 

 I could seriously just eat the topping.  I actually did just eat some of it.  I had to test it to make sure it was good before I put it on the oatmeal.  And then I had to make sure it really was that good.  Maybe a third taste, just to be sure.