Hello, and welcome to possibly to the one millionth flavor combination of my beloved morning meal — Apple-Pecan Quinoa Oat Breakfast Bake. While it’s a traditional flavor pairing with apples, pecans, raisins, cinnamon, and hints of vanilla, the baked oatmeal base is a bit unique as it co-mingles with the ancient “grain,” quinoa.

About 10 years ago, when I discovered that steel cut oats and quinoa cook up to the perfect, soft but slightly toothsome texture in the SAME amount of time, I started making these healthy grain breakfast bakes like an starved and obsessed woman. With every batch, a different combination of flavors (like the last was Pumpkin Peanut Butter Quinoa Oat Bake) – always delicious and great to cook ahead to have a balanced breakfast on had for busy mornings.

Apples, pecans, raisins, cinnamon and a whisper of vanilla sounds like the makings of an amazing oatmeal cookie – and that’s what this quinoa oatmeal bake reminds me of!  Over the years, I’ve streamlined the process to make this satisfying and sustaining morning meal even easier – for example, I no longer precook the grains on the stove top and then bake, that’s just dumb and dirties a lot of dishes I discovered.

Instead, the quinoa and steel cut oats soften in the oven – doing the same thing that happens on the stove top, but with much less mess and risk of overboil. The quinoa-oat mixture will seem very watery in the 9” x 13” (3 qt.)  baking dish – you may even think you’ve not followed the recipe correctly. But don’t worry, the water all gets absorbed during the 50-ish minute cooking process.

However, since the apple pecan quinoa oatmeal bake base start out so liquid-y (similar to the beginnings in a pot on the stovetop), many of the mix-ins can’t be added until half-way through the baking process to prevent them from sinking to the bottom. SOOOO, set your oven timer for 25 minutes (half of the 50 minute cook time) so you don’t forget to stir in the nummies – chopped apples, pecans, and raisins.

save 10% Great Lakes Wellness collagen and products with code THEFITFORK10off

To boost the protein content I use a vanilla collagen powder from Great Lakes Wellness ( discount code: THEFITFORK10OFF ) –  you can also use unflavored collagen or a vanilla protein powder of choice – I like Nuzest Lean Clean Protein (My 15% discount code FITFORK should be automatically applied in cart through this link).

Also, I use a stevia-based baking blend that measures out the same as sugar, cup for cup. This helps moderate the carbohydrates and keeps them from getting too high for my preferred diet — but, if you’d rather, you can substitute with coconut sugar, or even table sugar.

Each batch of this apple pecan oatmeal bake makes nine hearty servings with 269 calories per serving, 8.9g fat, 33.7 net carb, 12. 7g protein. Leftovers stay fine in the fridge for 3 days, which works if you have the whole family eating this for breakfast. But, often I’m the only one eating oats in the morning, so I will freeze in single-serve containers as a healthy breakfast meal prep. When I’m ready to eat it, I pop one in the microwave for about 2 minutes on “defrost” and then another 30 to 45 seconds on “high.”

It’s the perfect fuel, with those sustaining complex carbs and enough protein, to keep you running (literally!) from daybreak until lunch. And, if someone every asks you if you can cook quinoa and steel cut oats together at the same time, you can now authoritatively say YES!!!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission from any sales, however, the price to you remains the same. Proceeds help to offset operating expenses for The Fit Fork. Thank you!

5 from 5 votes

Print

Apple-Pecan Quinoa Oat Breakfast Bake

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

Get a jump on breakfast with this make-ahead morning meal that is large enough to feed a crowd or meal prep freezer-friendly for busy mornings. Apples, pecans raisins and cinnamon add flavor to the hearty base and great texture of quinoa and oats cooked together. Gluten-free and dairy free.

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: casserole, meal prep, oatmeal, oats, pecan, pineapple, quinoa

Servings: 9 servings

Calories: 269 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
• ½ cup “sugarless sugar” from NOW foods or another cup-to-cup granulated sugar alternative
• ½ cup of vanilla collagen powder or vanilla protein powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cooking spray
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup chopped apple

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl, add water, almond milk, applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.
3. In another bowl, toss together dry ingredients including steel cut oats, quinoa, sugar substitute, collagen powder, cinnamon baking powder and salt.
4. Whisk dry ingredients into bowl with wet ingredients until combined.
5. Spray 9” x 13” glass baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in mixture. It will be very watery, that’s how it supposed to be.
6. Bake at 375 F degrees for about 25 minutes – remove and stir in raisins, pecans and chopped apple. If oats have started to “set” a little on the sides of baking pan, it’s okay to scrape it up and mix back in while stirring in these additional ingredients.
7. RETURN to oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until middle is set and lightly browning on top.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes, cut in nine rectangles and enjoy!
9. Allow leftovers to cool and store in fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, meal prep by placing cut rectangles in microwave-safe food storage containers, and store in freezer. To reheat, thaw overnight in fridge overnight or on defrost in microwave. Then heat for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave.

Recipe Notes