RECIPE: Oatmeal is weeknight dinner-ready when topped with savory mushrooms
Oatmeal isn’t the first thing most of us think of for dinner, especially when you consider the bounty of sweet flavors of the cereal taking up most of the real estate on grocery shelves. It can be, however, a perfectly delicious — and healthy — alternative to risotto, polenta or rice when evening rolls around.
For both quick and flavor-packed savory oatmeal, I like to use quick steel cut oats, which offer the same taste and texture of steel cut oats, but the grains themselves have been cut into much smaller pieces. This means they cook in a mere 10 minutes or so, instead of the 30 to 45 required for the traditional preparation.
To top the oats, pick up a pound of packaged, pre-sliced mixed wild mushrooms, along with garlic, fresh parsley and one egg per person. You’ll cook the vegetables while the oatmeal simmers, and then, once everything else is ready to go, fry the eggs just long enough to set the whites and leave a glorious runny yolk to mix in to your bowl.
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking steel cut oats
- 4 1/2 cups water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound mixed wild mushrooms
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 4 large eggs
- Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the oats and cook, stirring, until they smell lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the water and a good pinch of salt and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until mostly tender, about 8 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue to simmer, stirring often, until all of the liquid has been absorbed, 2 to 3 more minutes. Cover and keep warm.
- As the oatmeal cooks, coat a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with more olive oil and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms all at once, along with a few pinches of salt, and cook, stirring often, until they’ve released their liquid, the liquid has cooked off, and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, half the parsley, and additional oil (if needed), and cook until the garlic has softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Wipe out the skillet.
- When the oatmeal and the mushrooms are finished, coat the skillet with oil one final time. Place over medium heat and, when the oil is hot, add the eggs. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let fry until the whites are cooked through but the yolks are still runny, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Portion the oatmeal out into bowls, spoon on the mushrooms, then top with an egg, the rest of the parsley, and a few grinds of pepper. Serve. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 336 calories (percent of calories from fat, 54), 14 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 21 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), 186 milligrams cholesterol, 443 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
