My Irish Soda Bread Baked Oatmeal is the St. Patrick’s Day-themed recipe that I am most proud of. The other minty creations (like the Shamrock Oatmeal Smoothie) are certainly fun and fit the essence of St. Patrick’s Day, but I love how this baked oatmeal is based on a real Irish dish.
Remember, this baked oatmeal is modeled after a bread. It is not sweet. Instead, it is meant to be eaten with a smear of butter (Earth Balance!!) or jam. Grab your favorite spread and enjoy!
What you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup’s worth of peeled and diced zucchini
- 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 cup raisins
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a single-serving ramekin with non-stick spray.
- In a small bowl, add milk and lemon juice, stir, and let sit for about five minutes. (This is a replacement for the traditional buttermilk.)
- Meanwhile, in a food processor combine oats and zucchini and process until coarse.
- When “buttermilk” is ready, add to food processor and pulse a few more times, until combined.
- Stir in baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add raisins and other optional ingredients (caraway seeds, sunflower seeds, other dried fruits like cherries, currants, and cranberries) and stir.
- Transfer to the ramekin. If desired, use a knife to create the traditional cross on top of the baked oatmeal (it’s not as easy as it looks, so work with patience!).
- Bake for 18-21 minutes.
If you’re not familiar with Irish soda bread, it’s a hearty quick bread in which the rising agent is baking soda instead of yeast–hence the name “soda bread.” It’s commonly served on the side at many restaurants in Ireland, especially if you order a soup or stew, and I ate my fair share of it while studying abroad.
Soda breads in the U.S. tend to be sweeter, more cake-like in texture, and contain “extras” like raisins. Soda bread in Ireland tends to be a little heartier or denser, and rarely with add-ins, and is perfect with just butter. I’m biased toward the latter, yet I did add raisins to this recipe because I couldn’t imagine breakfast without fruit. 😉
