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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

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
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!

13 comments:

  1. Ahh, this looks amazing! I adore savory oatmeal, I adore squash, the next time I have my hands on a butternut squash this recipe is so happening. I can totally imagine how amazingly risotto like this must taste, I wonder what it would be like made with steel cut oats? Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Ohhh, I bet steel cut oats would make it even more risotto-like! Brilliant!

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  2. I've wanted to try savory oatmeal for a long time, but never had the courage to. But as I love butternut squash endlessly, i think i'll give this recipe a go, thank you! :)

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    1. I think this is a great recipe for your first attempt at savory oats!!

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  3. never had savory oatmeal before, not sure about it...
    do you eat this for bfast???

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    1. Absolutely not, haha. I had it for dinner. You definitely COULD, but I'm very fussy about my breakfast. I like sweeter foods in the morning. It could definitely pass for breakfast, though, if you're into that kind of thing.

      Savory oats are a weird thing to get used to. I eat a LOT of oatmeal, so when I have savory oats, it just tastes a little bizarre to me, like "WHY IS THERE GARLIC IN MY OATMEAL RIGHT NOW?!" This was a pretty great recipe, though. The sweetness and creaminess of the squash made it seem not so strange.

      I recommend trying savory oats at least once, though! It's something different. :)

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  4. I made this recipe for breakfast this morning. Was definitely something new :D I used acorn squash, used a bit more spices and added a little cheese on top. I really enjoyed it, thanks for the idea! :)

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  5. I make savory oatmeal rather frequently, but it is usually just an oatmealized version of foods that I normally eat, such as ham sandwiches, pizza, or tacos. Next time I get butternut squash, I will have to make this. Delicious-looking recipe, and very creative!

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    1. You're ahead of me, then! I actually have a list including "taco oatmeal" and "pizza oatmeal." :) Thanks!

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  6. Yep, this looks phenomenal. I can't wait to see what else you do with savory oats!

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  7. Just discovered your blog when googling for savoury oat recipes as I had a bag of oats in the pantry that would expire before winter and I'm not quite in the mood for porridge in the morning where it's so hot. This sounded just perfect, thanks so much for the inspiration!

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  8. 3 Studies REVEAL Why Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you literally burn fat by eating coconut fats (in addition to coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 studies from large medical magazines are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world around!

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