Savory Oatmeal Breakfast Bowls with Smoky Garlic Greens and Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette

Savory Oatmeal Breakfast Bowls with Smoky Garlic Greens and Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette is a delicious way to get in a serving of whole grains and vegetables early in the day!

I’m really not fussy about my oats. I’ll take them just about any way I can get them: savory or sweet, whipped, steel-cut, made into granola, baked into muffins, and of course in cookie form. But one day I stumbled on a way of making oats that was a bit of a revelation for me.

One random chilly winter morning, I put a little saucepan of oats on the stovetop for breakfast and completely forgot to stir. I returned to the pot five or so minutes later (important: kids, never leave a pot unattended on the stovetop!). Expecting the normal consistency of oatmeal (creamy/mushy), I was surprised to see that I had somehow ended up with flaky oats that were chewy, more similar in texture to fluffed rice or al dente pasta than oatmeal porridge! It was a revelation.

After that happy accident I was determined to make al dente oats again.

I share my method for chewy al dente oats in this recipe; it is super easy and completely foolproof, yielding perfectly flaky oats every time. It’s basically cooking the oats the same way you’d cook pasta, but for much less time! You can dress these oats up any way you like; add a splash of milk, a pat of butter, and a sprinkle of brown sugar for a classic breakfast, or make them into a savory side dish instead of rice or pasta with the addition of roasted vegetables and any spices you fancy. Any way you serve them, this cooking method will revolutionize the way you eat oats.

Here I served my flaky oats as a savory breakfast bowl featuring egg, turkey bacon, and greens (because there’s no better feeling than getting some green veggies into your diet early on in the day!). Using chipotle chili powder in the greens and in a quick little Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette adds dimension and pulls the flavors together. (But if chipotle isn’t your thing, smoked paprika instead is also delicious here.)

I used Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats in this recipe, which yielded the perfectly chewy texture I was looking for. I’ve talked about Bob’s Red Mill products on my blog before (and I’ve even given you a closer look at Bob), and it’s because I’ve consistently found their products to be of the highest quality (you can read about their commitment to quality here) and when you’re cooking for loved ones, that’s huge. I couldn’t be happier to announce that this year I’m partnering as a brand ambassador with Bob’s Red Mill, so I’ll be showcasing a few of their various products in recipes throughout the year.

Back to this recipe though. I want to mention that this meal doesn’t stop at breakfast; if you’re a fan of breakfast for dinner (and who isn’t?!), this is perfect.

Have you tried savory oats?