Seasonal Savory Oatmeal
Oh hey there! How are you? It’s been dark and drizzly here in Oregon nonstop, so I figured I’d whip up a cozy hot bowl of seasonal savory oatmeal with caramelized onions & mushrooms. I know, I know. You may be thinking, wait – did she just say savory oatmeal? Gross! But trust me – it’s so delicious! Oatmeal is my favorite stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. And when it’s savory, it can be even more filling and delicious. The rich flavor of the caramelized mushrooms and onions mixed with garlic and a few spices is just so good. And this oatmeal bowl takes advantage of what’s in season currently in the Pacific Northwest – mushrooms, onions and garlic! Mushrooms grow abundantly around here, thanks to that damp, dark weather I was talking about earlier. And oatmeal is the perfect blank canvas on which to paint the depth of flavor from caramelized mushrooms.
Caramelized Mushrooms
I first learned how to caramelize mushrooms when I was in middle school. I would babysit my neighbor’s kids and the mom was an incredible cook. She would sometimes invite me to stay for a meal, and one of those times involved butter-laden caramelized mushrooms. We cleaned any dirt off the mushrooms with a damp towel and sliced them about a quarter-inch thick. Then she dumped a ton of butter into her cast iron skillet and we oohed and aahed at the aroma as the butter slowly melted. We added each mushroom slice, one at a time, into the warm buttery bath. And after five minutes, we carefully flipped over each mushroom to soak its other side in butter. Like magic, they developed a rich shade of golden brown. I burnt my tongue tasting one straight out of the pan, but I didn’t care. I was in love.
This winter, I invite you to eat a warm bowl of savory oatmeal with caramelized onions & mushrooms. Especially if these ingredients are in season where you live. There are numerous benefits to eating seasonally. It requires less fuel and energy to transport food that grows locally in season near where you live, compared to getting an out-of-season food from a country far away. And our bodies are nourished by the nutrients they need most when we eat more seasonally when possible. Enjoy! 💛
More Breakfast Recipes
Is oatmeal not your thing? No worries! Try these other yummy breakfast recipes!
- Sourdough Discard Granola
- Sourdough Discard Pancakes
- Your Favorite Cereal with Homemade Oat Milk
- Vegan SmoothieBowls
- Homemade Lucky Charms Pop Tarts
- Crepes with Candied Cranberries
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Pancake Cake
- A Gigantic Vegan Cinnamon Roll
- The Perfect Egg Omelet
Oatmeal with Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
Ingredients
Caramelized Mushrooms & Onions
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 ounces mushrooms (of your choice), sliced
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Savory Oatmeal
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp mushroom powder (optional; adds a savory umami flavor)
- ¼ tsp ground or fresh herbs of your choice like thyme or oregano (optional)
Instructions
Caramelized Mushrooms & Onions
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan on low heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and chopped onions, laying all the mushrooms flat on the pan. Flip the mushrooms over and stir the onions after 5 minutes. After another 5 minutes, stir the mushrooms and onions and continue stirring occasionally until everything is dark golden brown, after about 20 minute total.
- Stir in the minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt to the pan. Continue to cook on low for about 5 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and has softened.
Savory Oatmeal
- Measure one cup of quick cooking oats into two bowls. Pour boiling water over the oats until the water line just reaches the top of the oats. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- Mix the savor oatmeal seasonings into both bowls, then top with the caramelized mushrooms and onion mixture.
- Optional: sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper or a drizzle of olive oil or truffle oil on top and enjoy!
Looks yummy. I like my walnuts, raisins, brown sugar and sweet cream but this looks pretty tasty. I will have to try it with one of those home made croissants!
Yumm, those are classics on a warm bowl of oatmeal! 😁 Haha exactly – go all out with all possible breakfast options!
Savory oatmeal…hmmm…. I have to try this sometime because it looks delicious!!
Definitely! Let me know how you like it! 😊