Roasted Strawberry and Oat Breakfast Bowl

You have no idea how much restraint I’ve been exercising lately. I have held off for as long as I possibly can. I can no longer avoid posting about strawberries!

You see, the season began here about 3 weeks ago. Out of respect for those of you with a lingering winter, I avoided posting about them for as long as I could. I mean, I hate to brag and wave around posts about freshly picked, juicy, sweet strawberries. And about the fact that we have a strawberry patch with a farm stand on just about every corner in town. The kind that allows me to swing in at any point during the week to get baskets of berries like these that were picked that very morning. 

But now I must break my strawberry silence! I have to start sharing strawberry recipes. All I can say is that I hope your season starts soon! When it does, these recipes will be here waiting for you. 

If you’ve followed this blog through the years, you might remember the huge strawberry patch we had in our garden in Kentucky. All the plants had been transplanted from my Dad’s garden and we had a lively row that ran about 12 feet long. Carrying in basket after basket during strawberry season never, ever got old. I have missed them dearly since our move, but California did a good job of overcompensating. Strawberries have a very long season here and they are incredibly fresh.

Almost as fresh as those that came out of our garden. Almost. 

Now that we are in the South Central Valley, those garden berries have met their match. These strawberry stands (which I hope to photograph soon) are as good as home grown. So much so, that I have no plans to plant strawberries at our new house. I’ll leave it for more exotic things like limes, hot peppers and heat tolerant tomatoes. 

There’s just no reason for them to take up garden space when I have them at my fingertips any day of the week. 

During any berry season I usually hit that point where I need to start using them in recipes. I love them fresh, and will continue to eat them that way, but it’s time to get creative. 

I am a big oat fan, and with my recent bowl obsession, I decided to create a breakfast bowl that was a little more unique than boiling oats or soaking them in milk overnight. I often eat oats just like a cold cereal, mixed with nuts and dried fruits, no cooking required. 

The temps are still cool here so I decided to take this breakfast to the oven to add a little toasted, nutty flavor to my uncooked oats. I also roasted up some of the strawberries. 

If you haven’t roasted strawberries yet, it’s time to start. Cocktails, ice cream toppings, breakfast. The uses for the sweet, warmed fruit are endless. 

For this breakfast bowl, I arranged the oats and strawberries on a baking sheet with raw walnuts. Then I roasted it all for a few minutes before giving each ingredient its own space in a serving bowl. I had some fresh blueberries left over from work so I added those to create a little variety in temperature and texture. Then I topped it with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. I also recommend a drizzle of honey to finish off the dish, but that’s completely optional. 

Stir it all together and you have yourself a fruit and yogurt parfait with a nice warm, nutty twist. Delicious. 

Ingredients

1 cup halved fresh strawberries
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons chopped raw walnuts
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
Honey for drizzling (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the strawberries on one side of a rimmed baking sheet. Spread the oats in a single layer on the other side. Make a little room and place the walnuts on the baking sheet with the strawberries and oats. 

Roast for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Roast for 2 more minutes, until the berries soften and the oats and nuts are toasted. 

Spoon the everything from the baking sheet into a serving bowl. Add the blueberries. Top the bowl with yogurt. If using honey, drizzle on a small amount just before serving.