From strawberries to cherries and other stone fruits, summer has #blessed us with oh so many sweet dishes. But now, with those cotton candy skies in our rearview mirror, it’s time to look ahead to the savory horizons of fall.
September isn’t only back-to-school season; it’s also National Better Breakfast Month! And there’s no better way to change up your breakfast routine by trading your sweet oatmeal dishes for something spicy, herby and crisp. Think: oatmeal with creamy goat cheese, bacon bits and asparagus.
If your goal is to cut back on sugar and up the protein and fiber in your diet, savory oatmeal is an excellent choice. Oatmeal’s impressive fiber content, iron levels and mere one gram of sugar per serving makes it a morning star. Remember to go for steel-cut or rolled oats because they have the most fiber. Hungry yet? Grab a spoon and dig into these easy savory oatmeal recipes.
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8 Savory Oatmeal Recipes to Kick-Start Your Morning
1. Savory Oatmeal with Cheddar and a Fried Egg
As the weather gets chilly, you’ll want to warm up to this comforting bowl of oats. Stirring some shredded white cheddar cheese in the cooked oats gives it an indulgent quality, much like morning grits. Add some red peppers, green onions and walnuts for a dose of inflammation-fighting antioxidants. Top the dish with a fried egg, and you’ve got a protein-rich dish to fuel your day. Soon enough, you’ll be a fan of savory oatmeal recipes. Photo and recipe: Lisa Lin / Healthy Nibbles and Bits
2. Kitchen Sink Oats with Greens
This oatmeal dish is just as good for dinner as it is for breakfast! The cook once, eat twice recipe makes four servings, so you can enjoy a bowl in the morning and have another one at night. If you’ve got extra greens in your produce drawer, sauté them in a wok for a tasty stir-fry to top off your oats. Want some crunch? Toast chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds or pepitas. Yum! Photo and recipe: Kathryne Taylor / Cookie and Kate
3. Oatmeal with Chicken and Spinach
If you’ve got the sniffles, this nutritious twist on chicken noodle soup is just what you need. The soothing broth and hearty oatmeal will help replenish your energy, while the chicken and hard-boiled egg fill your belly up. Here’s a time-saving meal prep tip: Remix your leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken by shredding it into bite-size pieces. To save even more time, food blogger Maggie Zhu uses Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Rolled Oats — ready in 10 minutes flat. Photo and recipe: Maggie Zhu / Omnivore’s Cookbook
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4. Cheesy Oatmeal with Crispy Potatoes and Pesto
Gouda cheese, potatoes and pesto are three ingredients that won’t steer you wrong. To get the potatoes golden and crispy, boil them for about four minutes before tossing them in olive oil, salt and garlic cloves. You can either make homemade pesto with the fresh herbs and veggie scraps you have on hand, or purchase a ready-made one at the grocery to cut down on time. Along with the pesto and toasted sunflower seeds, minced shallots tie the Gouda and oats together and balance out the flavors in this delectably easy dish. Photo and recipe: Sarah Menanix / Snixy Kitchen
5. Oatmeal with Garlicky Kale, Mushrooms and Pine Nuts
Mushrooms and oatmeal (when made with milk) are both great sources of vitamin D — a nutrient that might be hard to come by in the colder months. You’ll get a hearty dose of nutrients in this dish, thanks to kale, pine nuts and coconut oil, too. You can prepare the oatmeal ahead of time by cooking the oats with vegetable broth the night before. In the morning, just pan-fry the veggies and evenly top them over the bowls. Photo and recipe: Sarah McMinn / My Darling Vegan
6. Oatmeal with Miso Butter and Snow Peas
A savory alternative to nut and fruit butters, miso butter is just a matter of mixing white miso with unsalted butter and honey. In this recipe, it transforms the oats into a warm, velvety mixture that melts in your mouth. Enjoy this dish with two fried eggs, some cooked snow peas and radishes for a balanced meal. Photo and recipe: Andrea Bemis / Dishing Up the Dirt
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7. Protein-Boosted Oatmeal
Savory meets sweet in this creative oatmeal recipe from the famed Green Kitchen Stories blog. Inspired by their travels to Copenhagen, where porridges are celebrated, Frenkiel and Vindahl prepare the vanilla-scented oats with chia seeds and yogurt to thicken up the mixture. They pair it with two eggs, avocado slices, hemp seeds and fresh raspberries for a dish that has a little bit of everything. Photo and recipe: David Frenkiel and Luise Vindhal / Green Kitchen Stories
8. Savory Steel-Cut Oatmeal
With just a few ingredients from your pantry, you can whip up this easy dish in less than 30 minutes. Truffle oil, grated Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme leaves bring the flavors of this recipe to devilishly good levels. Asparagus and shiitake mushrooms help boost the nutrition content with vitamins B12, D and folate. Bonus if you use omega-3-enriched eggs. Photo and recipe: Perry Santanachote / Life by Daily Burn
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