Anyone who thinks pumpkin season is over after Halloween is seriously mistaken. Um, helloooo, pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving? And Christmas? Oh, and like, mid-July in my family. Every season is pumpkin season if you ask me! You will definitely find me making this Pumpkin Spice Banana Baked Oatmeal year round. It is that good.
Sadly, I haven’t taken the time to meal prep our breakfasts for the work week in a while, thanks to our new pup, Koda. However, this weekend we had some perfectly ripe bananas, a can of pumpkin puree in the pantry, & a fairly calm puppy, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
Side note: is anyone still adjusting to the time change this weekend? I can tell you that it has seriously screwed with Koda, which means it has been affecting our sleep too. The first night he woke up around 5 AM, which wasn’t horrible. Unfortunately, he cried again about 20 minutes later, and another 15 minutes after that.
Last night we had a nice 2 AM wake up call as well, which he hasn’t done at all lately. That was lovely. I’m hoping he adjusts very soon and goes back to sleeping from 9 PM to 5 AM. (And actually goes back to sleep after a 5 AM potty break.) That I can handle. A few of you messaged me and said you were experiencing the same thing with your dogs and/or children. It’s always nice to know I’m not suffering alone, haha! This too shall pass, right?
oatmeal bakes: delicious, healthy & versatile
Now back to the recipe. If you’ve made my Blueberry Pecan Oatmeal Bake (inspired by Ambitious Kitchen’s Strawberry Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal recipe), then you’ll find that the process is equally quick and easy. I made a few simple swaps, and obviously added some delicious & nutritious pumpkin! I also think the banana slices on top are just so aesthetically pleasing. As always, I added dark chocolate chips because you work hard and you deserve to eat chocolate for breakfast. (Can I get an amen?) Slap a dollop of nut butter on top and you’ve got yourself a delicious start to the day!
Without further ado, let’s get to the recipe for this drool-worthy, Pumpkin Spice Banana Baked Oatmeal, eh?
Pumpkin Spice Banana Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana ~2-3 medium, very ripe bananas + 1 additional ripe banana for topping, sliced
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of choice
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled, (or melted butter/ghee)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats gluten free if needed
- 2-3 scoops Further Food Collagen Peptides or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan* with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together mashed banana, eggs, almond milk, pumpkin puree, coconut oil and vanilla until mostly smooth. Next, add in rolled oats, collagen or protein powder (if using), baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt until well combined. Lastly, gently fold in pepitas and dark chocolate chips.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan and top with banana slices, spread out evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon on top, to taste.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes until edges start to become slightly golden brown. (Or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.) Serve warm with a tablespoon of almond butter on top.
To Freeze:
- Wait for oatmeal bake to cool completely, then cut into 12 squares and store in individual sandwich Ziploc bags. Place all sandwich bags in a large gallon freezer bag and store in the freezer. Can be stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
The baking dish I use for this recipe is actually 8.5×12″; it comes in a colorful set of 3 from Crate & Barrel. Click here to check it out — I love this set! You could also use a 9×13 dish. Ambitious Kitchen’s recipe says to use a 9×9 pan. The thickness and number of servings is going to vary depending on the size of pan you use. A 9×9 pan will yield thicker squares and probably 9 servings. In my pan (which is close to a standard 9×13), I usually get 12 servings. Use what is most convenient for you! I usually end up baking mine around 25-28 minutes in the 8.5×12″ dish.
That’s it! Add this Pumpkin Spice Banana Baked Oatmeal to your line-up of easy and delicious breakfast items to meal prep. I promise, you won’t be disappointed! Pin this recipe on Pinterest to your “pumpkin” board (other people have those too, right?) so you can refer back to it all year round.
Can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂
Shanna
New favorite breakfast – it’s been so nice to have something set for the week for breakfast during quarantine. I didn’t add the banana pieces on top, but I did add some crunchy peanut butter – SO good!!
Yum! Sign me up for anything that involves crunchy PB. ; ) So glad you enjoyed!
Literally so good! Perfect for breakfast, a dessert or a snack, I’m sure it’d be good as leftovers too but ours did not make it that long in my house. Will for sure be making on repeat this fall!
Haha, yay! I love hearing that! If you ever do have leftovers or want there to be leftovers, you can also freeze some of it! It reheats perfectly in the microwave! Thanks so much for sharing!
I look forward to making this every fall! Such an easy breakfast to prep over the weekend, freeze, and then heat up on- the-go during the busy week! I love how packed with nutrition and festive it is 🙂
Aw, yay! So happy to hear this! It’s definitely a perfect, fall meal prep recipe! Thank you!