For some of you, this cheesy savory oatmeal may be hard to wrap your head around. Or maybe it just sounds weird. I’ve been there and I’ve heard it all before…
Oatmeal is supposed to be sweet. It’s supposed to be topped with berries and fresh whipped cream, or smothered in peanut butter with walnuts and maple syrup on top, or come in little bitty packets loaded with sugar and who knows what.
I know, I’ve been there. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Before savory oatmeal came into my life I hated oatmeal. But now I love it. It makes sense, I mean, I love cheesy grits. Why not love cheesy oatmeal?
There is no reason why not, no reason at all. And that’s why I’m asking you to just give it a chance. Open up your mind, put away the sugar, and make this easy cheesy oatmeal. The bonus is, it’s in your Instant Pot! 14 minutes to goodness! I use the pot in pot method with these stackable pots but you can use any oven safe vessel.
With the stainless steel stackable pots, there’s no mess, no stickage, and you can just store it in the fridge. I like to make both pots at once so that I have leftovers for later in the week.
So let’s go make this cheesy oatmeal! Wait! One more thing!
I like to use Bob’s Red Mill quick cooking steel cut oats. I get a huge bag and Costco for like…almost nothing. I prefer this brand because of the texture and creaminess of the oats. You don’t have to use this brand at all, use whatever steel cuts oats you prefer.
Cheesy Savory Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 – 1.5 cup water
- 1 cup steel cut oats, quick cooking or regular
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 slices cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- eggs, optional to top off the oatmeal
Instructions
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Pour 1 cup of water into your Instant Pot, 1.5 cups of water if you have the 8 quart.
Place a trivet in the bottom of the pot. Place the stackable pot or oven safe vessel onto the trivet. Put in 1 cup of oats, 2 cups of broth, salt and pepper. I use 2 pinches of salt and 1 of pepper, but it adjust to your preference and broth choice. Top with the butter. Lay the 2 pieces of cheese on top.
Put the lid on the stackable pot or if you don't have a lid, use aluminum foil.
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Pressure ON HIGH for 14 minutes. If using quick cooking oats, quick release the pressure when it's done cooking. If using regular steel cuts oats, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure.
Carefully, remove the lid and the pot of oatmeal. Stir and check for salt and pepper. I like to fry up an egg and toss it on top!
Recipe Notes
If you have leftover cooked ham or bacon, toss it in the pot when you add the rest of the ingredients. Precooked bacon works very well for this and gives the oatmeal a nice bacony flavor.
The time shown is for soft oats. If you like a little more chew or texture, you can decrease down to 9-10 minutes.
Hungry for more oatmeal?
The things you find in the struggle! This one is a gem… was down to nothing looking at the oatmeal like it wasnt something I was thrilled about eatting, got a idea ” I wonder what oatmeal with hot sauce taste like” i was sure it wasnt going to be good but i tried it and was impressed, not bad at all..then saw this post & added cheese. Wow! Its good! I also used it a long time ago to make vegan burgers that turned out fairly decent.
I guess because we’ve all grown up on sweet oatmeal, it’s just assumed that’s how you gotta eat it, but if you love cheese grits, cheesy oatmeal is where it’s at! I put sauteed mushrooms sometimes, or even left over collards on cheesy oatmeal. It’s all good! Sometimes the struggle brings out the good stuff!
Been making cheesy oatmeal for a while, everyone thinks I am a weirdo until they taste it. I add bacon crumbles to top it off.
Love it with bacon too but I can’t have bacon often, so I like to sub soyrizo on it. Good stuff!
I was actually very surprised. Made this over the weekend and it was great. It is similar to cheese grits but with a different texture. Will definitely do again.
It’s a great way to change up oatmeal!
I tried this as a substitute for cheese grits so that i could get the extra fiber. I wasn’t expecting it to be good. I love this stuff, it tastes just like cheese grits with more texture. This is on my permanent make again list.
Makes a nice simple lunch with the egg and I can see it making a nice side dish with minor additions