Savoury Oat Bake

Savoury Oat Bake makes an easy and satisfying vegetarian main course, packed with vegetables, nutritious oats, nuts, seeds, plus cheese and eggs. Serve with salad or cooked veggies, plus a baked potato if you like, for a healthy and surprisingly delicious dinner. Leftovers are great in lunch boxes too.

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Hard to believe, but it’s been almost SIX years since I started making versions of super-simple but lovely Savoury Oat Bake. In truth, it started off as an experimental savoury flapjack recipe. I loved them and, rather long-windedly, named them Savoury Flapjacks with Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds & Cheese. They were a hit with lots of you too, and other flavours followed: Savoury Flapjacks with Apple, Cheese & Walnuts and Vegetable Feta Flapjacks.

Almost straight away though, I realised they had the potential to be so much more than a savoury version of the popular sweet and oaty snack. With a good proportion of vegetables plus protein-rich eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds, it was clear they could easily form the base of a very nutritious meal. So I started eating the flapjacks alongside salad or veggies and sometimes a baked potato too. From there, I only needed to make a couple of tweaks (more veg and cheese, an extra egg for binding) to complete the transformation into savoury oat bakes.

Last summer, I posted about Mediterranean Oat Bake which is a loaf-shaped variation. And I’m pleased to say that became a hit too. But today I’m sharing an oat bake that was the very first incarnation of my original savoury flapjack. In terms of ingredients and flavour, it’s almost identical. But, because it’s such a great base for you to come up with your own creations, I think it really deserves a post all its own.

SAVOURY OAT BAKE

Based on everyday ingredients like rolled oats, common vegetables like carrot, courgette, and red onion, plus staples Cheddar cheese, eggs, butter (melted), nuts and seeds, a few dried herbs and spices, you probably have all the ingredients you need to make this Savoury Oat Bake.

One of the many things I love about it is the ability to vary the ingredients depending on what you have. For example, you can use veg other than those listed, so long as they add up to 350 grams in total after preparation. I recommend ones that, once grated or chopped small, will soften in the relatively short cooking time (around 35 minutes) to avoid the need for precooking. Veg I’ve previously used include grated beetroot, celeriac, swede, parsnip, and finely chopped celery.

If you’re including vegetables that contain a lot of water (e.g. courgette and onion) then be sure to give them a good squeeze after grating. You might be surprised at just how much water comes out which would otherwise make the bake soggy.

Almost any combination of nuts and seeds can be used too. Large ones can be chopped or ground, small ones left whole. For example, whole pumpkin, sunflower, or sesame seeds, and hemp hearts, chopped hazelnuts or walnuts, ground flaxseed, chia, or almonds.

Likewise, you can add your favourite herbs and spices. For the bake you see in this post, there’s a teaspoon each of dried sage and fennel seeds. But thyme, oregano, garlic powder, celery seed, or your favourite Italian/Mediterranean mix are all good.

HOW TO MAKE IT

This Savoury Oat Bake really is so simple to put together, you’ll hardly believe it. Grab a big mixing bowl and stir together the oats, prepped vegetables, grated cheese, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, some salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle with your spoon, then pour in the beaten eggs and melted butter. Give it a good stir to combine everything thoroughly.

Now the mixture is transferred to a baking tin. I like to use a 20-centimetre square tin. You could use a tin with a smaller base, but you might need to increase the cooking time as your bake will be thicker. So the bake comes out easily, I line the tin with baking paper and brush that with melted butter. Then I spread the mixture evenly, getting right into the corners, and smooth down the top.

In a preheated oven, the bake should take 30 – 35 minutes to get cooked through, slightly risen, and golden brown. Although it does usually hold together well, I recommend leaving it in the tin for 5 minutes before removing. Lifting out by holding onto the paper is easiest.

SERVING & STORING SAVOURY OAT BAKE

I cut the bake into four big squares to serve. If you’re feeding children, then half a square each might be enough. Depending on the season, we have it with salad or hot vegetables. If we’re particularly hungry, we have a baked potato too. Although we have been known to eat two squares per person instead.

The photo below is one of my early Savoury Oat Bakes. I served it with roasted cabbage, leeks and broccoli topped with a warm reduction of olive oil, shallot, Balsamic vinegar, honey, and mustard. Fantastic.

The bake I made for this post we ate with a crunchy salad and a baked potato. There’s a yogurt-mayo-garlic dressing flavoured with cider vinegar to complement the chunks of apple in the salad.

As it’s often more convenient, I tend to make my oat bakes in advance and reheat when needed. You could do this in a moderate oven or air fryer, although I just ping in the microwave. The bake will be fine in the fridge for up to three days or you can freeze it. Leftovers are good cold and make a nice change from sandwiches in a packed lunch or picnic hamper.

If you try this recipe, you might be surprised at just how good it tastes. So quick and easy to put together, it’s adaptable to what you have in your fridge and cupboards. It’s also nutritious and quite economical. So, what’s not to love?

If you’ve made this recipe, do comment and let me know what you thought

5 from 1 vote

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Savoury Oat Bake

Easy and satisfying vegetarian main course packed with vegetables, nutritious oats, nuts, seeds, plus cheese and eggs. Serve with salad or cooked veggies, plus a baked potato if you like, for a healthy, tasty dinner. Leftovers are great for lunch boxes.

Course Main Course, Snack, Lunch, Light Meal

Cuisine Vegetarian, European

Keyword savoury flapjack, oats, easy, baked oats

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 60 g butter
• 350 g carrot, courgette, red onion (combined weight after peeling, topping and tailing etc.) see Recipe Note 1 for alternatives.
• 150 g rolled oats (or porridge oats)
• 100 g mature Cheddar cheese (grated)
• 80 g mixed nuts and seeds see Recipe Note 2 for suggestions
• 1 - 2 tsp herbs and/or spices e.g. dried sage or thyme, fennel seeds, garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 3 eggs beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C /160° Fan /Gas 4 /350°F.

   Line a 20 cm square baking tin with baking paper.

   Tip: if you use a tin with a smaller base then you may need to increase the cooking time as the bake will have more depth.

   Melt the butter and brush some of it all over the baking paper. Set the rest aside.

2. Coarsely grate the courgette and carrot and finely chop the onion. Squeeze handfuls to extract as much liquid from them as possible then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

3. Stir into the vegetables the oats, the grated cheese, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, salt and pepper.

   Make a well in the centre then pour in the beaten eggs and remaining melted butter. Stir very well so everything is evenly combined.

4. Transfer the mixture to the lined and greased tin, spreading and pressing down evenly, going right into the corners and smoothing down the top.

5. Bake in the oven until cooked through, slightly risen and golden brown (approx. 30-35 min).

   Leave to rest for 5 minutes then lift out of the tin using the paper. Cut into squares and serve.

6. Can be stored in the fridge for 3 days or frozen.

   Reheat in a microwave, moderate oven or air fryer.

Recipe Notes

Note 1. Suggested vegetables to use. You can use other vegetables than those listed so long as they add up to 350 grams in total after preparation. Use ones that will soften in the relatively short cooking time to avoid the need for precooking, e.g. grated beetroot, celeriac, or parsnip, finely chopped celery.

Note 2. Nuts and seeds. Almost any combination of nuts and seeds can be used, larger ones chopped or ground, others left whole. e.g. whole: pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds, hemp hearts, chopped: hazelnuts, walnuts, ground: flaxseed, chia, almonds.

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