I’m back with another of my favorite recipes to share: it’s the perfect thing for breakfast. It’s a Nutritarian Steel-Cut Oatmeal recipe that is so flexible and convenient, you can easily make it ahead of time and pull the meal together in less than 5 minutes per day.
Breakfast just got STUPID easy. :P
Why Is Oatmeal Important?
Oatmeal is such a great food to have for breakfast for so many reasons. It is a whole grain, meaning it is so minimally processed. Steel-cut oats are the best, and I explain why in the video below!
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which dissolves in water as it runs through your digestive tract…which then turns into a gel that slows your digestion…keeping you feeling full longer! It also feeds the good bacteria in your gut, making it a “prebiotic”, which is so good for our overall health!
According to the Kitchn website:
Beta-glucan is the name of the specific type of soluble fiber found in oats, and it has been linked to various health benefits in scientific studies. (Oatmeal isn’t the only food with these benefits; other beta-glucan-containing foods include barley, shiitake mushrooms, and seaweed.) Most notable is its role in lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which is linked to a decreased risk for heart disease. The scientific support for the cholesterol-lowering effects of beta-glucans is so widespread, the FDA allows food manufacturers to make health claims on the packaging of foods like oatmeal. A container of Quaker Oats, for example, includes this statement: As part of a heart-healthy diet, the soluble fiber in oatmeal can help reduce cholesterol.
Other studies have found that beta-glucans may help control appetite, boost immune system defenses, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, but none of these findings are conclusive enough to make specific recommendations about eating oatmeal for those health benefits.
What’s not to love??
Oatmeal is Your Best Meal Solution at Restaurants
My absolute, hands-down, no-brainer thing to order at restaurants (especially for breakfast and brunch/lunch) is oatmeal. Being a Nutritarian, it’s often hard to find something that will fit the bill as far as our nutritional desires go, but oatmeal is almost always a safe bet (as long as they don’t drown it in maple syrup or something!).
So, what is the difference between steel-cut, rolled oats and quick cooking oatmeal?
You may be wondering, what’s the difference between the kinds of oatmeal anyway? Well, steel-cut oats are the queen bee of oatmeal, because they are the least processed. They just take the oat groats usually roast them for a bit to toast them and then they chop them into 1 or 2 pieces, like as if you were chopping rice into a couple pieces. You can imagine it like that.
What’s the best about steel-cut oats is the texture: omg I love it!! They have a much more substantial texture that could be called toothsome…it’s such a wonderful mouthfeel, I really love it. If you aren’t an oatmeal fan and have never tried steel-cut before, I’d be willing to bet you’d like this kind!
With rolled oats, they are first toasted as well, but instead of cutting the oats with like they do with steel-cut, they are first steamed to make them soft and then they literally roll them and flatten them to create that different texture.
And last but also kinda least are quick-cooking oats. These oats definitely bear the brunt of most of the processing: they are literally pre-cooked, then they are dried. They are then rolled and pressed thinner than rolled oats and that’s how you get them. They cook the fastest (because technically they’ve already been cooked once before!) and they tend to get mushy as well.
I pretty much never choose to eat quick-cooking oats just because the texture is so much better with the other varieties! I really don’t enjoy the texture of quick-cooking anymore now that I’m familiar with the others!
2 Easy, Forget-It-Overnight Methods
No Cook
Take a bowl or a mason jar, add the oatmeal and other ingredients, screw on the lid or cover, place in the fridge and leave it in there overnight. Here is a great recipe that is…umm…amazing.
If you use steel-cut oats for this overnight oatmeal (my favorite), you will have a very chewy texture the next morning. It is by far my favorite texture, but some don’t like it that chewy. But at this point in the morning, you are able to add any toppings you like.
Cook
I love this tip I read from the Kitchn website. You just start cooking the steel-cut oats according to package directions over the stove. When it has come to a boil, you cover it, switch off the heat and just leave it on the stove exactly like that overnight. When you get up in the morning, it will be perfectly cooked andy ready for your favorite toppings! Easy peasy!
The Topping Possibilities Are Endless
This recipe is so wonderful because of all the different ways you can mix it up…you could add anything from:
- any type of fruit (apples, pineapples, berries, etc)
- frozen fruits (berries, bananas, etc)
- raw, unsalted nuts and seeds
- dried fruits (raisins, currants or dates, etc)
- spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, etc)
- extracts (vanilla, coconut, coffee!!)
- Etc!
My Oatmeal Breakfast Bootcamp is Coming Soon!
Ever wish someone would just decide what you should eat for a whole week for breakfast and tell you what to buy and how to make it? I know I do. WHY CAN’T SOMEONE JUST VOLUNTEER TO BE MY PERSONAL NUTRITARIAN CHEF??!
Wait, did I say that out loud? :P
Well that’s exactly why I’m in the process of creating a simple meal plan for you to teach you some awesome, easy oatmeal recipes that are not only amazing-tasting, but super Nutritarian healthy for you too. I will include grocery lists and instructions to guide you through the whole thing as well.
So be on the lookout for that! Coming soon.
The Best Steel-Cut Oatmeal Recipe VIDEO
- ½ cup steel-cut oatmeal
- 2 cups water
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 4 tablespoons nuts and seeds (un-salted, un-roasted)
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the water and oatmeal and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir constantly taking care so it doesn't boil over. Once it's simmering, stir ever 5-7 minutes. Cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
- To a breakfast bowl, add your desired toppings and the oatmeal and stir to combine. Serve warm.
I have for years hated oatmeal. I am the wierd texture girl, whole bananas gross me out. I am also a gluten free person, so breakfast to fill me up have been nearly impossible. Smoothies, Fruit and Nuts, and sometimes even salads have had to suffice for breakfast. I envy people who can eat oatmeal and enjoy it. So, this weekend, off to the store to try the steel oats. Praying to the food gods, I like it. I need something nutritional that will hold me for breakfast because I teach little children and am often hungry well before lunch. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I take 1/2 cup of organic old-fashioned oats and to that I add 1 tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseed, 3 chopped medjool dates, 1/2 cup of unsweetened soy milk, 1/2 cup of water. Refrigerate overnight. In the a.m., add 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, berries and a fruit of choice, pear, apple,peach etc.
Yes December, thanks for commenting!! I hope you do love it. It’s got a really great texture: it’s like having rice! If you like the texture of rice, I think you’ll LOVE THIS! Please lemme know how it works out for you. :D xoxxo
YESSS!!! Perfect, love those overnight oats!! They’re so easy to make and they take so little work! Thanks for weighing in, dear Amy.
That is exactly what I had for breakfast this morning. I cook my steel cut oats in the Instant Pot. I put 1 cup of oats and 3 cups of water and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I cook it on manual for 13 minutes and let it naturally release which takes about another 10 minutes or less. Perfect oatmeal and no babysitting either. I usually double the recipe so I have lots of leftovers in the fridge. Great video Cheri.
Yyyyyum, Pam!!!! I still gotta get an Instant Pot…but I’m not super motivated right now. Lol. Someday in the future! :) Though I do love the idea of no babysitting! Sometimes I freeze it so I can just warm it up later, that works well too and I only have to babysit once for a while. Thanks for the compliment, sweet lady. <3
We love overnight oatmeal, I even got my 82 yr old dad hooked!
I use equal amounts of oats and a nut milk and add a soy yogurt and chia seeds.
In the morning I just use whatever fruit we have (berries, bananas etc) and sometimes add some nuts.
I am not real fond of peanut butter but I do like almond butter. So I’ll have to try almond butter in my overnight oats.
I realise this is an old post, but I am duty bound to respond! Steel cut oats are known as groats in our village, they are always eaten savoury, slowly cooked overnight in a clay pot with onions, carrot and (for non nutritarians) beef. I eat them with leeks, garlic, fresh grated numeric, chilli, chard, spinach and mushrooms – once again cooked slowly with all ingredients plus stock and adding chard and spinach at the end. Great creamy risotto/stew type dish, superb immune busting, sustaining food! In our village you can only buy groats at the animal feed shop!! Bit to trivia – a similar beef and steel cut oats dish is eaten in Mongolia as the first meal of each new year.
Thank you SO much for this info Tracey! How interesting!! What village is this, may I ask?? The savory oats recipe sounds delicious!!!! I have a similar steel-cut oats/groats recipe that I use and it is just wonderful, especially for breakfast!
If doing steel cut oats overnight, is the liquid to oat ratio the same as rolled oats?
Yes it’s about the same ratio. They are my favorite! They will be much chewier than rolled oats though: I love that texture! You can always use a little more too, extra milk doesn’t hurt anything and makes it more like a cereal meal. :D
I’d like to get your nutritarian recipes. Especially using an instant pot.