Yes this is as good as it sounds. And yes, it will fulfill all of your fall cravings in one bowl. Saw last week’s oatmeal guide but needed some inspiration to think outside the box? Here’s your push. Just follow the general instructions on your box of oats with these little twists:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: About 12 minutes (you can prep while it cooks!)
Servings: 1 bowl
Ingredients:
Water (¾ cup for steel cut oats, 1 cup for traditional oats)
Oats (¼ cup for steel cut oats, ½ cup for traditional oats)
¼ cup pumpkin purée (or more if you feel like it)
½ an apple, chopped
Cinnamon
Honey
Handful pecans, chopped
Directions:
Most of these steps involve one thing or another cooking, so be sure to read ahead so you can get them going at the same time!
1. Boil the water, add the oats and turn down the heat so the water is simmering.
2. Add the pumpkin to the oats.
Photo by Dina Zaret
Btw: Opening the can was by far the most difficult part of all this for me, so make sure you get that done before the water boils. Once the oatmeal is half cooked, throw in a heaping amount of pumpkin purée. Make sure it’s not pie mix (I got mine from a co-op at home but Trader Joe’s has mountains of them).
3. Start heating a different pan for the apples. Once hot, add a tablespoon or so of water and throw the apples on top. Sprinkle them with some cinnamon and stir them around.
Photo by Dina Zaret
I am the number one fan of honeycrisp apples, but as long as you don’t use the plastic looking red apples from Commons I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Photo by Dina Zaret
4. Oooooh getting steamy! When the apples start to get cooked, drizzle some honey on them to get the full sweet effect. Once your house smells incredible and the apples look slightly browned, let them cool a bit until your oats have finished cooking.
5. Toast your chopped pecans, but be careful not to burn them! There’s a fine line between perfect and charred (and it’s not one I recommend crossing).
6. Layer everything on. Pour out your pumpkin oats then, since orange oats aren’t the most beautiful, make sure you cover them well with your apples and pecans. Obviously another round of cinnamon is highly encouraged.
Photo by Dina Zaret
Remember that these are just guidelines! Change it up based on what you have and like. Food is meant to be played with. Enjoy.