Gorgeous Photo by Roberta Sorge on Unsplash

Still using up apples from an overly ambitious purchase and remembered that Lied Lodge in Nebraska City serves an apple oatmeal that is sweet, spicy and so good!

I’ve made many versions of their oatmeal, using apple butter and spices, but we really like this version where you make the applesauce right in the pan before you add the oatmeal. It’s slightly less sweet, but easy to add syrup, honey or brown sugar if you want.

Many recipes call for apple juice but I find this one so apple-y you don’t really need it.

Ingredients

2 apples, peeled, cored and grated. (I used Galas.)
1 tsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch cloves
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups water
2 Tbsp brown sugar

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add apples, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vinegar. Cook on low heat stirring occasionally until the apples are soft, 7-8 minutes.

Add oatmeal, water and brown sugar and stir well. Increase heat until it begins to simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes. Serve with a little half & half and a dusting of cinnamon. If you prefer it a little sweeter, drizzle maple syrup, honey or sprinkle a little more brown sugar over.

Note: You can use whatever oatmeal you have on hand. Just adjust cooking time accordingly. For very long-cooking oatmeal, keep an eye on the liquid and add a bit more water if it’s getting very dry. Also very tasty topped with chopped walnuts.

No time to cook the apples? Just substitute 1 1/2 cups applesauce for the apples.

You can also make this in a crockpot for overnight. Just cook the apples separately, and add everything to your crockpot the night before, set the heat to low and cook 7-8 hours.