Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts, and a warm bowl of savory caramelized mushroom oatmeal is a fun twist on sweet oatmeal bowls. The spiced oats are creamy, and the mushrooms + onions develop a buttery, rich flavor on the stovetop.
This is My Elevated, Savory Spin on Classic Oatmeal
I know, I know. You may be thinking, wait - did she just say savory oatmeal? With mushrooms?? Gross! But trust me - it's so delicious! Oatmeal is my favorite stick-to-your-ribs breakfast. And while I love a warm bowl of oatmeal with stewed apples, when it's savory, it's even more filling and delicious. The rich flavor of the caramelized mushrooms and onions mixed with freshly minced garlic and paprika + herbs is just so dang good.
Growing up in Germany, oatmeal was the second breakfast I learned how to make, after breakfast cereal. Oatmeal is such an easy meal to learn how to make, and this savory caramelized mushroom oatmeal is an elevated, fancy-ish version!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter - I recommend using unsalted butter to control the quantity of salt in your oats
- Mushrooms - pretty much any mushrooms will work in this recipe; I usually use Portobello, Shitake, or button mushrooms
- Onion - any onion will work great in this recipe; I usually use a sweet onion
- Garlic - in testing, I found that freshly minced garlic provides the best flavor here
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Oats - quick cooking and rolled oats both worked in testing to create a creamy texture, while steel cut oats had to be cooked separately in a pot to get that same texture
- Paprika - adds a smoky, slightly sweet flavor
- Fresh herbs - I've used thyme, oregano, parsley, and rosemary, and all work great in this recipe
Tips from My Kitchen
- Caramelizing onions and mushrooms takes time. Don't rush it, or else you won't develop those buttery, rich flavors.
- Oatmeal is best served fresh and warm. It can become kind of hard after sitting out or being refrigerated.
- To really take this breakfast up a notch, I like to grate fresh parmesan or gruyere on top. It adds one more tangy, salty layer of flavor.
Savory Caramelized Mushroom Oatmeal
developed & tested by:
Ingredients
Caramelized Mushrooms & Onions
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ounces mushrooms (of your choice), sliced
- ½ sweet onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Savory Oatmeal
- 2 cups quick-cooking oats (or rolled oats)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh herbs, finely chopped (such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary)
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. Set aside.
Savory Oatmeal
- Pour one cup of dry quick cooking oats (or rolled oats) into two bowls each (use two cups total). Pour boiling water over the oats until the water line just reaches the top of the oats. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- Divide the pepper, salt, and paprika between the two bowls and stir to mix in the spices. Then top each bowl with the caramelized mushrooms and onion mixture and chopped fresh herbs.
- Optional: Sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper or a drizzle of olive oil or grated cheese on top.
Notes
- Mushrooms: I like using Portobello, Shitake, or button mushrooms, but whatever mushrooms you have on hand work!
- Storing: This oatmeal is best served fresh & warm, since it can get kind of hard and gluey once it cools.
Nutrition
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.
Yum-number1 says
Savory oatmeal…hmmm…. I have to try this sometime because it looks delicious!!
strawberryandcream says
Definitely! Let me know how you like it! 😊
Jim says
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!
strawberryandcream says
Yumm, those are classics on a warm bowl of oatmeal! 😠Haha exactly - go all out with all possible breakfast options!