This recipe reminded me of a nice risotto I'd have at a fine restaurant. The oats become very creamy and the flavors of Cheddar and bacon go surprising well with the oats (which I tend to associate more with sweeter flavors like brown sugar and maple syrup). For even more flavor, I recommend that you try replacing 2 cups of the water with chicken stock. As you might suspect, more cheese and more bacon makes everything more better. If you're not dieting, consider bumping the cheese to 1 and 1/3 cup and go for 6 strips of bacon. All in all: This was a fun, tasty recipe that is ripe for experimentation. I suspect I'll make it again. (This recipe was concocted, tested and photographed in March 2014.)





How To Make Bacon Cheddar Steel-Cut Oatmeal

In a large sauce pan. bring the water, milk and salt to a rolling boil. Slowly, stir in the oats (slow enough so that the liquid doesn't stop boiling). Stir for 1 minute and reduce heat to simmer. Cover the pan.

Simmer for 30 minutes - stirring once every 10 minutes.

When oatmeal has reached desired consistency, stir in the shredded cheese, the chives (or parsley) and all but 1 Tablespoon of the bacon. Add pepper to taste.

Top each serving with the reserved crumbled bacon.





Cooking Notes:

Interestingly, these oats become more creamy if you let them set for 15 minutes and then reheat them. If you have the time, it makes a difference.

If you like pepper, use a lot of it. As with grits, pepper is the ingredient that makes the dish say, "I'm savory and that's just how it is Dude."

Serving suggestion: Use this savory oatmeal as a bed for a fried egg.






This savory oatmeal is reminiscent of polenta, grits or risotto. Steel-cut oats already have a savory, nutty flavor that pairs surprisingly well with other savory flavors.

Mr Breakfast would like to thank Mr Breakfast for this recipe.

Overall Average Rating = 5 (out of 5)

Based on 1 vote.

From Brandon

Rating (out of 5):

I made this in my instant pot today, using the 2 cups chicken broth, turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, and white pepper instead of black pepper. It is spectacular. I did not take into account evaporation, so it was still a bit liquidy coming out of the instant pot, but the cheese just melted right in and made it a bowl of creamy deliciousness. I totally agree about the pepper comment, it really does kick it up. I suppose I should also note I did these brown butter style (add the butter to the instant pot on saute until it browns, then add the oats and toast them for 5 minutes before you add the wet ingredients) because I like the toasty flavor this produces.

Comment submitted: 2/25/2019 (#20736)

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