Overnight Steel-Cut Oatmeal in a Slow Cooker

This recipe is as easy as they come, right up there with my Hawaiian three ingredient pulled pork.  A quick go to when you have a crew in the house, want to send the kids off to school with a solid breakfast, or, are are craving something healthier than bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Easiest recipe ever.

• 1 cup steel cut oats (not quick oats or instant oats)
• 4 1/2 cups water
• Imagination (whatever you have or nothing at all)

Throw everything in your slow cooker right before bed,  eight hours later you will have creamy oatmeal for breakfast.

Typically I will throw in maybe a chopped apple or pear.  I’ve done peach as well.  Cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts, coconut, raisins, dried cranberries.  One of my favourites is  chopped Apple in with the oats overnight, and the next morning I serve it with dried cranberries and sliced almonds on tops do milk on the side.  Lately I’ve been adding vanilla and chai seasoning.

Sometimes I serve it plain, just water and oats and make up a “bar” in the morning with nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar, honey, ground flax seed, pumpkin seeds, coconut, maple syrup, berries etc and let everyone customize their own bowl. It all depends on what you have.

Sometimes even with all of that yummy goodness there will be a serving or two left over.  I throw it in single serve containers for a snack/solo meal/future breakfast.  I might be the only person in my house who likes oatmeal enough to eat it outside of breakfast, but I do.

Try it tonight and let me know how you customize it.

Enjoy

P.S. A word about my slow cooker in the above picture:  it was a wedding gift.  In fact of all of the gifts we received at our wedding almost 23 years ago, this, along with our relationship itself, is the only thing to make it this far.  There are a few towels that have graduated to oil change towels in the garage but this humble, not so pretty crock pot, has gone the distance and continues to go strong.