By: Naomi
Food, Health & Wellness, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Savory Slow Cooker Oatmeal

This slow cooker oatmeal with crispy bacon will make you jump out of bed! A savory spin to your regular sweet oatmeal and total crowd pleaser dish, this is perfect for busy mornings! It is an easy-to-make, well-rounded healthy meal for any time of day.

I’ve always found it difficult to come up with ways to spice up my breakfast meals. Steel-cut oats have a lower glycemic index than most other oats due to the fact that they are just coarsely chopped. They are not processed like other types of oats.

Steel-Cut Oats

Also referred to as Irish or Scottish oats, this type of oatmeal is processed by chopping the whole oat groat into several pieces, rather than rolled. Steel-cut oats look almost like rice that’s been cut into pieces. This variety takes the longest to cook, and has a toothsome, chewy texture that retains much of its shape even after cooking.

In addition to being used for porridge, steel-cut oats can also be used to make meatloaf and savory congee (a nice alternative to rice), or to add texture to stuffing.

Because of its toothsome texture, rolled or instant oats don’t make a good substitute for steel-cut oats.

5 REASONS TO GET ON THE SLOW COOKER SAVORY OATS BANDWAGON:

  1. You can pack in more veggies, savory sweet starches. Like sweet potatoes or squash give it a little sweetness without any added sugar, not to mention it adds more texture.
  2. Adding Aged Cheese or Nutritional Yeast (for dairy free peeps) makes these slow cooker oats taste like grits. And oh HOW I love “grits.” Cauliflower grits anyone?
  3. This is the PERFECT dish for breakfast, meal prep dinner, the holidays, a balanced post workout recovery meal, or weekend brunch. Seriously, it will feed a crowd. Even manly men who don’t consider oats to be a real breakfast. Well these oats for reals! Men will be in heaven with savory slow cooker oatmeal. But I kinda think the crispy bacon might also have something to do with it. More on that below.
  4. AVOCADO creaminess. Watch out Avocado toast, avocado oatmeal just one upped you, or so I like to think.
  5. Last but not least: Bacon. Okay here’s my secret to these savory oats. The KEY “LIFE CHANGING” ingredient. You ready? Bake the bacon with onion either first or half way through cooking the slow cooker oatmeal. It’s easy and baking the bacon makes it more flavorful and crispy. Once the bacon is done baking, keep the bacon grease from the pan and pour it into the slow cooker oatmeal.  Bonus –> You’re kitchen will smell like a campfire big breakfast. It’s AMAZING and so cozy.

SAVORY SLOW COOKER OATMEAL

Prep Time – 10 minutes

Cook Time – 3 hours 
Total Time –  3:00
Serves 4 to 5 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.25 cups steel cut oats
  • 1 cup diced peeled squash or sweet potato
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Optional flaxseed 2 tbsp
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1/2 c sliced cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4c Parmesan or nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 c broth
  • 2 cup plain almond milk or coconut milk unsweetened
  • 1 c water

FOR THE CRISPY BACON

FOR THE SAVORY OATMEAL BOWL TOPPINGS

  • Sliced Avocado
  • Steamed spinach
  • Microgreens
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Parmesan shavings
  • The cooked Crispy bacon and onion
  • pinch of Pepper
  • Optional fried or poached egg

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Place the gluten free oats, diced peeled squash, tomato, butter or oil, flaxseed, garlic, seasoning, milk, broth, and parmesan in the crock pot or slow cooker. Mix all together and set on high 3 hours or low for 5. Could be more or less depending on your slow cooker.
  • Stir and scrape the sides of the slow cooker every hour if you are using real cheese. The flaxseed with help bind everything together and thicken it up like steel cut oats.
  • Add a 1/4 c more milk if you want to thin out the oats (to create more of a porridge) the last hour of cooking.
  • When the slow cooker oats are about ready, preheat oven to 350F and line a baking tray with foil.
    Place bacon strips and sliced onion on the tray on top of foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy.
  • Spoon savory oatmeal into bowls. Add your toppings of choice (listed) and crispy bacon with onions to garnish.

RECIPE NOTES

You can set this overnight if you have an automatic slow cooker that shifts to warm after 5 hrs. I recommend adding the the cheese in morning if so. Or use a slow cooker liner so the cheese doesn’t burn the sides.

Estimated Nutrition per serving:

250 Calories; 13 grams of Fat; 3 grams of saturated fat; 25g carbohydrates; 6 grams of fiber; 2-3 grams of sugar; 9.5 grams of protein