Oatmeal is one of Max’s absolute favorite breakfasts
Waking up to a hot and delicious breakfast is one of those wonderful pleasures of life. However, if you’re the cook in your household, this doesn’t happen very often unless you do the work. Since room service is not an option, prepping your breakfast before you go to bed and letting your slow cooker do the work while you sleep is a perfect solution!
With ingredients as simple and nutritious as steel cut oatmeal, you won’t have to feel guilty about indulging in this regularly. Yes, steel cut oats do seem to cost more than the “old-fashioned” equivalent, however they swell much more while cooking, so you really end up with twice as much prepared cereal per original volume (so for 1 cup of steel cut oats you add 4 cups water; with old-fashioned oats you only add 2 cups water).
So nice to have it cook while you sleep!
This is also a super way to make certain you have time for breakfast on a busy morning. All you have to do is dish it into a bowl and top with whatever simple (or complicated) topping you prefer. We have a long list of possible toppers in our home: yogurt, honey, brown sugar, raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, fresh fruit, whipped cream, nuts, spices, maple syrup, etc. If you want additional flavor you can add a pinch of cinnamon or any other spice (clove, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.) to the oats before cooking. You can also substitute juice for the water for a hint of fruity flavor.
Your slow-cooker doing the work while you sleep so you can enjoy a wonderful breakfast with very little effort.
If you have any oatmeal leftover, press it into a pan, refrigerate, then cut into squares and top with yogurt and fresh fruit for an easy, cool, whole grain breakfast option later. Yes, oatmeal is kinda boring when it is served plain, but when you jazz it up it feels like dessert! A little oatmeal toppings buffet can be oh-so-gourmet when you have guests for breakfast (and with this easy technique you won’t have to wake hours while it cooks!)
Notes
Steel cut oats are larger than the “old-fashioned oats”, giving them a larger, heartier texture (though they are completely soft after cooking all night). If you don’t have them on hand, you can substitute “Old-Fashioned” Oats, but you will need to increase the amount of oats to 2 cups since they don’t absorb as much water as the Steel Cut.
Overnight Oatmeal with Steel Cut Oats
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
8 hours, 5 minutes
Number of servings: 4
Per Serving 135 calories
Fat 8 g
Carbs 14 g
Protein 3 g
Steel cut oats have a much heartier texture than “old-fashioned” or “quick” oats
Ingredients
Directions
Coat the inside of your slow cooker with the Coconut Oil.
Combine remaining ingredients except toppings and cook on low for 7-8 hours in a slow-cooker, then reduce heat to warm until ready to eat.
Stir the oatmeal whenever convenient while it is cooking and add additional water if desired or needed.
When oatmeal is done, set out bowls of fresh fruit, dried fruit, yogurt, honey, and nuts then allow everyone to top their oatmeal however they like it for a hearty, delicious breakfast.
Featured in the Panama City News Herald.
