This apple pie oatmeal is one of my go-to fall breakfast recipes. I season up the oatmeal with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, then cook it, either adding apple chunks at the very end of cooking, so that they end up soft but not too soft, or whipping up a batch of cinnamon applesauce to be a scrumptious topping. Thanks to the apple, the dish is sweet despite having no added sugar (of course you can still serve it with maple syrup or brown sugar if you want), and the spices give it those classic fall flavors that make apple pie special. 

Prep time: 10 min. Cook & wait time: 20 min. Serves 4-6

For the oatmeal:

3 cups of oats

5½ cups water (depending on how wet you like your oatmeal)

1½  teaspoons cinnamon

½  teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

If you are not making the applesauce, you will need 2 cups of apple cut into ½ inch cubes

For the applesauce:

6 cups apple, sliced small (you can remove the peels if you want to, but they tend to get fairly soft while cooking and I like the texture they add)

1½  teaspoons cinnamon

1½  teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup water

To make the oatmeal: 

1. Bring the water to a boil. In the meantime, mix together the oats, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  
2. Once the water boils, stir in the oat mixture. Return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes without stirring during this time. After the 5 minutes, turn off the heat and stir again. If using the apple cubes (not applesauce) mix them in at this time. Don’t worry if the oatmeal seems watery. Replace the lid and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. The water should absorb while you wait.
3. Serve with plant-based milk or yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, maple syrup or brown sugar, and/or extra diced apples.

To make the applesauce:

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
2. Mash with a potato masher. If the apples aren’t soft enough, cook them more and then try again. Your applesauce will still be somewhat chunky. That’s good. It ensures that the applesauce won’t get lost in your oatmeal, plus it gives the signature fresh flavor and texture of homemade applesauce.