Savory Butternut Squash Oatmeal

It's been a while. I haven't posted a savory oats recipe for months. I've been meaning to do it for a long time, too. Every time I update my recipe index and see that one wimpy savory oats recipe, I feel a surge of motivation to give it a companion, but alas, it would never surmount to anything.

Until now!

Have you ever had butternut squash risotto? That's what this reminded me of. It was pleasantly creamy, yet savory. The oatmeal was an excellent vehicle for the butternut squash, which is truly the star of the recipe.

The recipe calls simply for "greens." I used spinach because it's what I had on hand this week, but I know that both chard and kale pair beautifully with winter squash. Spinach is thin enough that you can just throw it in at the end of the cooking process and it will wilt enough from the heat of the porridge, but chard and kale will need to be cooked more than that. You could possibly just throw them in at the same time that you add the squash, but it would color your oatmeal green, and I personally don't like boiled greens. For that reason, I would personally saute the chard or kale separately in a pan with onion and/or garlic and add them to the oatmeal in step 5. Either way works. Let me know what you try and how it works!

P.S. If you like/eat cheese, feta would also be a great addition to this, methinks!

Savory Butternut Squash Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup milk of choice (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth, or water
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
• 1 cup butternut squash, cubed and roasted
• handful of greens (spinach, chard, or kale)
• pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Saute garlic and onion in some oil in a saucepan until onions are translucent.
2. Add milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
3. Add oats and reduce heat to medium. I also added 1 tsp. chia seeds (optional).
4. Add the cubed squash and stir. Add a bit of black pepper and a heavy pinch of salt.
5. While there is still some liquid left, turn off the stove and quickly add the spinach. (If you are using a heartier green like kale or chard, you will need to saute it first to cook it down more.) Stir. The residual heat from the oatmeal should cook the spinach adequately.
6. If you'd like to add any extra ingredients (coconut oil, sunflower seeds, feta), do so now.
7. Once the spinach looks wilted, transfer to a bowl. Enjoy!

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*You could substitute most other winter squashes, or even sweet potato. I roasted mine in the oven the night before. You can cube first, roast second, or vice versa. It's a personal preference kind of thing.

**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!