It’s hard for us to dream up a cozier scene than curling up to a sweet, steaming bowl of oatmeal on a particularly blustery morning. And that was the exact situation in which we found ourselves a few days ago. The whipping wind that rattled the windows was no concern to us. We were in our fluffiest socks and pj’s with the comforting taste of banana nut oatmeal warming us from within. But this wasn’t just any oatmeal, it was steel-cut oatmeal in all of its glory with its chewy, hearty bite and creamy, risotto-like texture.
Yes, out of all of the oatmeals, steel cut is our favorite. And for years, we’ve dutifully cooked it as required: standing over it at the stove, stirring, watching that it doesn’t boil over or burn on the bottom for the required 30 minutes or more it takes to cook. Yes, we love steel-cut oatmeal, but there has to be an easier way, we thought. So we came up with a plan: we decided to bake it instead, hoping the oven would do the hard work of transforming the oats into the creamy bowl of goodness we love with nary a stir, so we could go back to bed, or read a book, or watch a little show as it cooks.
And this recipe, dear friends, is the result of many tests and lots of steel-cut oatmeal-filled mornings. We chose banana nut as our flavor, first because we love that classic combination, and also because we tend to have those ingredients on hand more often than not. We found a few keys to recipe success: First, we toasted the oats and walnuts in a dry pot to bring out some nutty, complex flavors, and transferred them to a baking dish. Then, in the same pot, we brought the milk, mashed bananas, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla to a boil, and then poured the mixture into the pan with the oats and walnuts. This step jump-started the cooking process and helped to shave off valuable time in the oven. And finally, we sprinkled the top of the oatmeal with some brown sugar and nuts, which added a nice sweet and crunchy topping. The resulting oatmeal was creamy, hearty and delicious with only 5 minutes of hands-on time and the added benefit of yielding enough to enjoy for a few more easy mornings.
- 1 cup uncooked gluten-free steel-cut oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, divided
- 4 cups nut milk, like almond or cashew, plus more for serving, if desired
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed until wet and chunky
- 5 tbsp. brown sugar, divided
- 1½ tsp. cinnamon, divided
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- Heat oven to 375℉. Add oats and walnuts to medium pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until walnuts are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to 8”x8” baking dish. Add milk, mashed bananas, 3 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, vanilla and pinch of salt to same pot; bring milk mixture to boil. Immediately pour into baking dish with oats; stir to combine.
- Bake, uncovered, until oats begin to peek over milk, about 30 minutes.
- As oatmeal bakes, in small bowl, mix together remaining ¼ cup walnuts, 2 tbsp. brown sugar and ½ tsp. cinnamon. Sprinkle over oatmeal. Continue to bake until liquid is almost completely absorbed and oats are tender, about 15 minutes more. Let sit until firm, about 10 minutes. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled with extra milk, if desired.