Banana Zucchini Baked Oatmeal, no-added sugars
A delicious baked oatmeal recipe that’s naturally sweetened with bananas and provides nutrients from the cottage cheese and the shredded zucchini.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (moisture wrung out)
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Using your fingers or a pastry brush, butter a 8-inch squared baking dish (including the sides) with softened unsalted butter and set it aside.
- Shred the zucchini using the grater and measure 1/2 cup. Transfer the shredded zucchini to a kitchen towel. Gather the ends and twist the kitchen towel to help squeeze out all of its liquid. Set the zucchini aside.
- Mash about 3 bananas in a bowl with a fork. Measure 1 and 1/2 cups of the mashed banana and transfer it to a bowl. (Mash another banana if needed to gather 1 and 1/2 cups).
- Add the egg and whisk with a fork in a whisking motion to combine. Note: when preparing this recipe, may add all of the ingredients to a bowl all at once and mix them in to combine. However, I have found that by adding a few ingredients in at a time (not all at once) has helped incorporate them better into the mixture.
- Also add the cottage cheese, shredded zucchini (with moisture wrung/squeezed out) and the pure vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- Add the baking powder and stir it in.
- Add the milk, stir well to combine. Finally, add the oats and stir them in.
- Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish and spread it out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Once baked, the edges should be golden brown and the center should be somewhat set (it will firm up some more once it starts to cool).
- Allow to cool, cut into desired size pieces and serve.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Storing leftovers:
I like to keep my baked oatmeal bars in a glass air-tight container with paper towels in-between each layer. I have found that the bottom of the leftover bars tend to feel a bit soggy. As a result, I used paper towels help absorb the moisture. Here is how I lined them:
- I first lined the bottom of the container. Then I placed the oatmeal bars in a single layer making sure they are not overlapping one another.
- Next, I placed a paper towel on top of the first layer and continued to add more oatmeals bars in a single layer (again making sure not to overlap).
- Continue this process until all of the leftovers have been used.
- Essentially, we are making sure that a paper towel is touching the bottom part of each oatmeal bar.
- Keep the leftovers in the refrigerator.