- Put the oats in a 2-quart pot and cover with 1 to 2 inches water; bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the mixture is gently bubbling. Cook, stirring often. When the oats start to look dry or stick to the bottom of the pot, add water about 1/4 cup at a time. (The goal is to prevent the oats from sticking as they cook and become creamy.)
- Keep stirring every couple minutes, adding water as needed, and watching for the oats to tell you when they’ve had enough: They’ll lose their individuality and break apart into the liquid. Once that happens, stop adding water and keep cooking and stirring until the oatmeal is no longer watery. This cooking and stirring step will take 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how soft and soupy you want the toasted oats.
- Add some salt if you like, plus any other seasonings or stir-ins you want from the list below; they’ll warm and/or melt during the final stirs in the pot. Transfer the oatmeal to bowls and serve with more sweet or savory toppings.
– Recipe developed by The Bittman Project for Bob’s Red Mill
Sweet and Savory Stir-In or Topping Ideas for Toasted Oatmeal
Choose a couple (or several) things from the list that follows and either add to the pot to heat before serving or pass at the table for last-minute garnishing.
Sweet Additions
- Butter, olive oil, or sesame or nut oil
- Milk, cream, or plant-based milk
- Sweetener: maple or other syrup, molasses, honey, or any kind of sugar
- Ground sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, or anise
- Peanut butter, chopped nuts (like cashews, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts) or seeds (like sunflower, poppy, or sesame seeds)
- Chopped dried fruit (like unsweetened cherries, dates, apples, mango, pineapple, or apricots)
- Fresh fruit (like apples, bananas, strawberries, apricots, peaches, blueberries, cherries, raspberries; frozen berries or mangoes are good in winter)
- Jam, jelly, marmalade, preserves, or fruit compote
- Shredded coconut (even better if it’s also toasted)
Savory Additions
- Butter, olive oil, or sesame or nut oil
- Miso butter (1 teaspoon any miso mashed with 1 tablespoon unsalted butter)
- Soy or fish sauce
- Ground savory spices (like curry or chili powder, cumin, black pepper, garlic powder, za’atar)
- Crumbled crisped bacon or sausage; or pulled roast chicken, beef, or pork
- Grated cheese (any kind that’s good at melting: Parmesan, Gruyère, cheddar, provolone, etc.)
- Poached egg; you can also poach eggs directly in the oatmeal, simply by cracking the eggs into the simmering mixture during the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking.
- Simply cooked greens or other vegetables (especially good with soy sauce and a poached egg!)
- Cherry tomatoes (raw and halved, or left whole and roasted or pan-blistered)
- Salsa, chile crisp, hot sauce, or chopped fresh or dried chiles