Southern Living 2022 Annual Recipes: Skillet Baked Nut-and-Banana Oatmeal for ABRAMS Dinner Party #SouthernLiving2022AnnualRecipes #abramsdinnerparty #breakfast #bakedoatmeal #brunch

I'm moving into 2023 with another great ABRAMS Dinner Party blogging group feature...showcasing one of my most anticipated books this season! Southern Living recipes are a standard bearer here in the South...a beloved food resource shared from generation to generation. That's because their recipes always seem to taste like the South...and we can always count on the recipes giving us good results and fabulous flavor! Every December, the Southern Living annual recipes cookbook is released -- featuring every recipe from the past year in one convenient hardback book. I have every edition going back to 1997, so I was thrilled to see the Southern Living 2022 Annual Recipes on my Dinner Party cookbook lineup again this year! There are so many recipes I can't wait to try in the coming months...but this time, I needed a healthy and delicious breakfast for my Dad's birthday breakfast. He picked Skillet Baked Nut-and-Banana Oatmeal -- a yummy mashup of oatmeal and banana nut bread. With just a handful of simple ingredients, this dish is a simple-to-make weekend brunch dish. It's sweetened with mashed banana and honey, so it works well with 2023 healthy eating goals you have!

NOTE: The original recipe is called Skillet Baked Almond-and-Banana Oatmeal -- featuring almonds. I subbed in pecans, because I'm unable to eat almonds. 

Skillet Baked Nut-and-Banana Oatmeal

from Southern Living 2022 Annual Recipes

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):

• 3 TBS unsalted butter, melted -- plus more for greasing pan
• 2 very ripe large bananas + sliced bananas to top baked oatmeal
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk [NOTE: can use unsweetened almond milk]
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon -- plus more for sprinkling 
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. honey -- plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned regular rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans [NOTE: can use sliced almonds]

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 10-inch skillet (or pie plate) with butter. Mash bananas in a large bowl until almost smooth. Whisk in egg, milk, almond butter, cinnamon, baking powder, honey, salt, and melted butter until well combined. Stir in oatmeal.

Step 2: Quickly pour mixture into prepared skillet or pie pan. Sprinkle nuts evenly on top. Bake in preheated oven until oatmeal is set and top is lightly golden -- about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Garnish with sliced bananas, then sprinkle with additional cinnamon and drizzle with additional honey -- or sugar free maple syrup. Serve immediately.

This comforting dish is homey and filling...a perfect weekend brunch centerpiece. The one-two punch of bananas inside...and on top of...the oatmeal is really nice. We added links of browned turkey breakfast sausage on the side for a complete birthday breakfast. So good! This recipe can also be made ahead on Sunday, cut into wedges, and frozen individually in zip bags for a quick weekday breakfast. For this option, I recommend adding banana slices on top after reheating...or simply leaving them off. The banana in the oatmeal batter gives a nice banana flavor on its own.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Southern Living 2022 Annual Recipes cookbook as part of the ABRAMS Publishing Dinner Party blogging group. All opinions are solely my own.