When the pandemic began and we all went home, all of the time, I found myself cooking breakfast more. Originally, it was the same boring meals I always made. Then I discovered savory oatmeal! It’s changed the way I made oatmeal!
I prepare most of my breakfasts and lunches in advance to ensure I eat better, but also because my days are busy with meetings and getting the kids ready for school. So, for this meal, I prepare 4 servings of steel cut oatmeal on Sunday night. Keep in mind when preparing the oatmeal, you don’t want it to be sweet. While that is cooking, I chop up my vegetables for the week and store them. I’ve discovered that preparing your vegetables like this in advance makes cooking easier and gives you more variety in preparing different types of meals. I usually toss the pre-cut bell peppers into my salads at lunch for instance.
Each morning, I put roughly a serving of oatmeal in a sauce pan with a little milk and water to reheat. Then I drizzle some olive oil in a pan and heat up my vegetables (usually onion, carrots, and bell peppers) and my turkey sausage. After a few minutes of heating, I add some minced garlic and spinach. Don’t forget to add a little salt and pepper to taste while you’re cooking. This week, I’ve been adding corn into the mix. The great thing about savory oatmeal, is that you can make it your own by adding whatever vegetables and meat you like. Think of oatmeal like rice, most rice bowls would translate well into oatmeal!
Once everything has finished reheating/cooking, it’s time to plate. Place the oatmeal down first and then add the sautéed mixture. Now, I’m not going to tell you that you should or shouldn’t do the next step, but I enjoy it. If you happen to have any of the olive oil left from the cooking process, I like to drizzle a little bit of it on the top. Olive oil is ‘healthier’ than other oils and it does add a little extra taste. Again, this is purely optional.
I hope you give it a try, enjoy!
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