It’s officially fall in Denver. The mornings are chilly and crisp, the leaves are changing colors, and we had our first snow a couple weeks ago. With the colder weather upon us, I am switching out my Greek yogurt, fruit and granola for breakfast with something that is warm and cozy. I like to change up my breakfasts seasonally, one, so I don’t get bored and two, who wants to eat a cold breakfast when it’s chilly out. My fall and winter go to is steel cut oats. You can make a batch on Sunday and they reheat beautifully all week.
For those of you who don’t like oatmeal, don’t knock steel cut oats until you’ve tried them. While steel cut oats and old-fashioned oats start off as the same grain, old-fashioned oats have been rolled and flattened while steel cut oats are chopped into small pieces. I’m not a huge fan of oatmeal made from old-fashioned oats but I love oatmeal from steel cut oats. I find old-fashioned oats can be mushy but steel cut oats are creamy and more pudding like. The great thing is, they have the exact same health benefits. They both help lower bad cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, and so much more!
There are also so many ways to enjoy them. Below are come of my favorite sweet variations. These also taste delicious topped with a fried egg and chicken sausage.
Steel Cut Oats
Yields: 5 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups water
1 cup milk (any milk variety will work)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or unsalted butter
1 cup steel cut oats
¼ teaspoon salt
Add In Ideas: Ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), dried fruit (raisins, currants, cranberries), nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans), fruit (apple, banana), spreads and sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, peanut butter, apple butter)
Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter or coconut oil over medium heat. Add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, around 2 minutes. This toasting step greatly enhances the flavor of the oats but is not necessary. Feel free to skip this step if you are pressed for time.
Add in the milk and water to the oats. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Be sure to watch your pot, it can quickly get away from you and boil over! Once the mixtures has reached a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick.
Stir in the salt. Continue to simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. The oatmeal will be very creamy when it’s done.
Remove from heat. Let the oatmeal rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve and top with any add ins you like.
Let any extra oatmeal cool completely before covering and refrigerating for future breakfasts.
Yum! I’m making some next week, thanks for the inspiration!