Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oatmeal

Whether or not you’re bracing for an epic snowstorm like we are in the north east, or, you’re simply looking for a hearty dish to serve for breakfast, Steel Cut Oatmeal should be your go-to dish.

Steel Cut Oats is oatmeal at its very best. The nutty flavor is unparalleled, as is its risotto-like texture, especially when slow-cooked overnight.

Steel Cut Oats are the healthy, unrefined form of oats that aren’t sold with added sugar or artificial coloring and flavoring like its sibling, Rolled Oats. They’re whole grain oats (inner portion of the oat kernel) which have been cut into only 2 or 3 pieces by steel rather than being rolled. Because of this, Steel Cut Oats take longer to digest and therefore create less of an insulin response (which is good). They’re an amazing source of complex carbs (this is also good) and soluble fibers (yup, good too). Despite their heightened nutritional benefits, Steel Cut Oats are most commonly known as the “oats that take forever to cook.” And, for anyone harried with kids, to spend time cooking them seems downright inconvenient.

But, all you need is just a smidgeon of planning. I promise it’s worth it, nutritionally and from a pure taste perspective.

I know what you’re thinking. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, their Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats are tasty and you can cook them on the stove top or in the microwave in 8 minutes.

And, Trader’s Joe’s also sells a Frozen Steel Cut Oats package where you get two pucks of cooked-then-frozen steel cut oats that you can defrost and cook in under 3 minutes. But, I promise, the taste just isn’t the same. There’s something to be said for being invested in your food and actually taking the time to cook it. Waiting for Steel Cut Oats to cook on the stove top for 20 minutes during the early morning rush when everyone is trying to get dressed and prepared for the day isn’t relaxing to me. I’d rather know that, when everyone is seated at the table, all I have to do is lift off the lid to the slow cooker and I’ve got a fresh, voluminous bunch of warm oats ready to be served.

With a slow cooker, there’s literally no stress involved when making steel cut oats. Most likely you’ll already have the ingredients in your pantry or fridge (milk, water, brown sugar, butter, oats, cinnamon, apples). Then, just dump everything in the slow cooker before you go to bed and in the morning, you’ll awake to the aromatic smells of the cinnamon and apples and fully-cooked oats.

While it looks like mush but tastes like heaven!

And, get adventurous. Add any toppings desired (blueberries, bananas, more cinnamon or sugar) and you’ve got a very hearty, high-fiber, nutritious, hassle-free meal for your family.

Any leftovers? Throw it in the fridge and reheat and serve for the next couple days. I know that’s what I’ll be doing when we’re socked in from the snowstorm.

Try it. You won’t be disappointed.

Notes: Feel free to alter the amount of brown sugar, cinnamon, and honey. I actually added two teaspoons of honey and only added in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. When finished, I served the oats with dried apricots and blueberries but really, any fruit topping would taste great. For the apples, I used Rome apples since they bake well for long periods of time. Place left overs in the fridge and reheat in microwave 1 1/2-2 minutes, stirring halfway through. When reheating, I also added 1/4 cup of milk to the oats.

Also, check out the My Judy the Foodie Store where you can purchase a slow cooker! A % of the proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research. Go on, click over!