Pumpkin spice season is here! Therefore, it’s important to eat MOAR pumpkin oatmeal. Generally speaking, canned pumpkin is an awesome foundation for any type of autumn baked goods. Cheesecake makes it even better.
Public Service Announcement Re: Canned Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin and “Pumpkin pie filling” are not the same thing. Canned pumpkin puree is literally just pureed pumpkin in a can. Confusingly enough, you’ll probably find it in the canned fruit or pie filling section of the supermarket. This time of year, November, it’s pretty easy to find canned pumpkin anywhere (pumpkin pie season is drawing near!)
I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin over fresh pumpkin because it’s just a lot of effort to make this with a fresh pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin is a lot of work, and it’s unwieldy. It takes A LOT to convert a fresh pumpkin into a smooth puree like this. Get it in a can!
Baked oatmeal is my favorite thing ever because it’s convenient, filling, and easy to meal prep. I wouldn’t bother to eat a relatively-wholesome breakfast if it wasn’t already prepared, in the fridge, ready to go first thing in the morning.
I don’t ever reheat this — I just grab it from the fridge and eat it cold. You, however, can reheat this if you want. I suspect that baked oatmeal reheats particularly well.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can pureed pumpkin (NOT "pumpkin pie filling")
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup liquid egg whites
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk of your choice
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
Cheesecake Topping
- 4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese
- 2 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoon skim milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Lightly spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the canned pumpkin and brown sugar.
- Whisk in the egg and egg white.
- Whisk in the vanilla extract, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove and salt
- Stir in the milk
- StirBake for about 45 minutes. It's done when the edges start turning golden-brown and a knife or skewer inserted into the middle of the oatmeal comes out clean. in the oats
- Pour the entire thing into the prepared baking dish.
- Mix together the Neufchâtel cheese, sugar, milk and lemon juice. Evenly drizzle over the top of the oatmeal (I used a butter knife to spread it around)
- Bake for about 45 minutes. It's done when the edges start turning golden-brown and a knife or skewer inserted into the middle of the oatmeal comes out clean.
