School has started and autumn is around the corner. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. We’ve just moved to Michigan, so this year we’ll be able to pick our own apples and pumpkins. That means we’ll be sampling cider, doughnuts, pies, muffins, apple butter and pumpkin butter, pancakes, cookies, cupcakes and cakes, dumplings, and… and… and…

Well, you get the idea. So when I saw this pin for Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal by Paula of bell’ alimento, I thought this would be a great way to kick off autumn cooking.

And if I can interrupt myself and say how unbelievably happy I am that Starbucks has released the Pumpkin Spice Latte early this year? I know I’m not the only person who did a little happy dance when they walked into their Starbucks.

Now that I’ve had my coffee, let’s get back to the task at hand.  I’d been intrigued by the baked oatmeal recipes I had seen on Pinterest. Paula made this sound simply amazing, and being a vegetarian recipe seemed like a healthy bonus. I’m not a vegetarian, but it can be part of a very healthy lifestyle, and we’re trying to have a healthier diet and  lifestyle.

The dry ingredients are rolled oats (old fashioned), brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt.

Mix to combine. I like using a whisk to break up the packed brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, mix the milk, pumpkin, applesauce, egg and vanilla.

The egg was supposed to be beaten, so I started whisking the egg, then incorporated the rest.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Combine well.

Pour into a prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until set. Mine was done at 32 minutes. (Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but this smelled so amazing and I could hardly wait to take the picture before digging in.)

Breakfast is served! I didn’t have the walnuts on hand to garnish, but this was absolutely incredible without them.

This had a texture that was slightly crispy on the edges, but creamy in the middle. Dessert for breakfast! As a side benefit, the house smelled like Christmas the whole morning. And this is a healthy breakfast!

Now for the Pintesting results.

Overall Rating: 5 Pins

Accuracy: The recipe was well written and easy to follow. It was delicious with a wonderful texture, and it made the house smell amazing. We didn’t have the chopped walnuts, but will make sure to add them the next time – and we will DEFINITELY be making this again. 5 Pins

Difficulty: This was very simple. Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix it all together, then bake. This would be a great recipe to get the kids involved. 5 Pins

Time: The preparation took about 10 minutes, and the bake time was about half an hour. Paula suggested making it the night before and baking in the morning. I’ll try this the next time, too. 4 Pins

Cost: We had everything we needed on hand. The most expensive ingredient would be the can of pumpkin at about $2-$3. The pan yields 6-8 servings, which means 3-4 breakfasts for my home. 5 Pins

Practicality: This is a healthy, delicious, and simple recipe that can be made ahead of time and makes enough for up to 8 servings. 5 Pins