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Steel-Cut Oatmeal With Fruit

5.0(589)

Steel-cut oatmeal is my new favorite hot breakfast. It has more texture than rolled or flaked oats and really sticks to your ribs. But this tasty cereal takes about 25 to 30 minutes to cook — not what you need when you’re trying to get out the door. So I make a batch that will last a few days; it keeps well in the refrigerator, and you can reheat small portions gently atop the stove or in the microwave. You can also freeze this oatmeal in ice cube trays, an idea I got from oncology nutritionist Maria C. Romano. She contributed the recipe from which this one is adapted to the “Eat Healthy, Shop Smart” community farmers’ market program at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

by Martha Rose Shulman

Open original recipe

Breakfast, One Pot, Main Course

Servings

4 servings

Total time

30 min

Calories / serving

190 kcal

Ingredients (8)

serves

2 cups waterwater
2 cups low-fat milkmilk
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)salt
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional)butter
2 to 4 tablespoons dried fruit, such as raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried cranberriesdried-fruit
1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup, agave syrup, honey or brown sugar (more to taste)maple-syrup
Fresh fruit (such as diced apples and pears, optional)pear

Instructions (2 steps)

01Combine the water, milk and salt in a large, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil. Slowly add the oats, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in the butter, dried fruit and sweetener. Cover, and continue to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent the cereal from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the oats are soft and the mixture is creamy. Serve, with added fruit stirred in if desired, or refrigerate and reheat as desired. Or freeze as follows:
02Line ice cube trays with plastic wrap. Fill each cube with oatmeal, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen solid, remove the cubes from the ice tray and freeze in a plastic bag. For each portion, thaw three or four cubes in a microwave on the defrost setting. Add additional warm milk if desired.