this tasty and easy baked oatmeal dish is the perfect way to sneak veggies in first thing in the morning!
I know, I know, I’m totally out of control with the baked oatmeal dishes. But I can’t help it! They’re just the easiest thing to make and have to eat all week!
And these have a little something special because I snuck veggies into them! Last week I promised to bring you recipes that help you get more veggies into your day and this one is a definite winner.
Even the biggest veggie hater can’t say no to that right there, can they?? Owen gobbled his portion right up (I ran it through the food processor because of the walnuts). Even my not-so-veggie-loving husband approved!
If you’re not into chocolate in the morning, you can swap the chocolate chips out for raisins. There aren’t a TON in this dish so it’s not like you’re feeling totally overwhelmed with chocolate. It’s akin to a chocolate chip zucchini bread – sweet enough for an afternoon snack but also works for breakfast!
I like to top mine with a little plain greek yogurt to bump up the protein (though it would also be great with a slather of peanut butter!) and I find a drizzle of maple syrup helps with any dryness that might occur upon reheating.
But it also 100% works straight out of the tupperware, thrown into a bowl and heated up (you can also eat it cold!). It’s great for those busy mornings when you just don’t have the time or the energy to think about breakfast (let alone how to get veggies in!).
No matter how you serve it, I promise that, veggie lover or not, you’re going to love it!
chocolate chip zucchini walnut baked oatmeal
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 2×2″ squares 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (or raisins if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon (more or less to your liking)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of plain unsweetened soymilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely shredded zucchini that has had the excess moisture squeezed out
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375’F
- Grease an 8×8 baking dish (you can use smaller or larger but cooking times will vary. For a smaller pan, you will have to bake longer to ensure it’s fully cooked in the center).
- Shred a small zucchini into a cheese cloth (a bunch of paper towels will work as well) and squeeze out excess moisture, then set aside
- Combine oats, raisins, walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, chia seeds and salt in a medium mixing bowl
- Combine brown sugar, milk, egg and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl
- Add wet to dry mixture, folding gently to combine. Let sit for 2 minutes to allow chia seeds to soak up some of the moisture
- Gently fold in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips
- Pour into greased baking dish using a spatula to spread the mixture evenly throughout the dish
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown (because every oven is different, I recommend plunging a knife or cake tester into the center of the dish to test if it’s done, if it comes out clean or just a bit wet, it’s done).
- Allow to cool completely before slicing. You don’t HAVE to wait, but note that the squares may fall apart a bit if you’re scooping it out of the dish right when it comes from the oven.
Notes
store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
reheat individual portions in the microwave right before eating. if it seems dry upon reheating, you can reduce the brown sugar in the recipe to 3 tablespoons and add a drizzle of maple syrup after heating for extra moisture.
Keywords: oatmeal, zucchini, chocolate chip, walnuts, baking powder, milk, vanilla
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