Banana Cream Pie Overnight Oatmeal

Okay so, I have to ask – have you guys all been totally holding out on me? I eat oatmeal for breakfast a lot. Usually we make a batch of some variety of steel cut oats or a baked oatmeal that I can reheat throughout the week. I’ve browsed right past overnight oatmeal pins on Pinterest countless times in the past, always thinking “I’ll have to investigate that eventually….” but then never actually getting around to it. Well, I finally got around to it and now I’m just wondering why the heck I didn’t try this a long time ago. What was I thinking?

In case you are what I imagine to be one of the few people left who haven’t tried this out, basically all you do is pour some rolled oats into a jar with milk plus other mix ins, shake well, and let stand overnight. During the rest period, the oats soak and eventually soften so no cooking is required. The prep time is super quick (maybe 5 minutes, max) and the best part of course is that it requires zero effort in the morning. Well, maybe if you consider sprinkling some nuts on top effort. 0.0000001 effort, okay? This particular version is really reminiscent of banana cream pie – so yummy. Since the yogurt I use is unsweetened, I sprinkled a bit of turbinado sugar on top just before eating. The vanilla bean is optional but if you happen to have them on hand, I recommend it – extra vanilla flavor is never a bad thing. I’m looking forward to trying more flavor variations. What is your favorite play on overnight oats?

Yield 1 serving

Ingredients

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp. chia seeds
Pinch of salt
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of grated nutmeg
½ cup low fat milk
¼ cup low fat plain greek yogurt
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean
1 ripe banana, divided
Chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans, for serving
Turbinado or brown sugar, for serving

Directions

01
In a jar, combine the oats, chia seeds, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add in the milk, yogurt, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds (if using). Divide the banana into thirds. Mash two thirds of it well with a fork and add to the jar with the oats. Slice the remaining third and add this to the jar as well. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until the mixture is evenly combined (this may take a minute or two). Refrigerate overnight.
02
Remove the jar lid, sprinkle nuts and/or sugar over oatmeal as desired. Serve.

Source

slightly adapted from The Oatmeal Artist