Savory Oatmeal with a Fried Egg and Bacon

Oatmeal is rarely worth slowing your scroll for... until now. Of course, people have tried to fancy-up oatmeal with all kinds of pretty toppings from fruit compote to homemade nut butters to chocolate, even! But, Savory Oatmeal is where it's at.

Hang with me... I know what you're thinking. Savory oatmeal?! Ew. Oatmeal is squarely stuck in the boring, weekday, quick-and-easy, vaguely sweet, mostly healthy category. But first, take it for what it is: a bland base on which we can build tons of flavor.

Think about grits for a minute. Who doesn't love a good spicy, bacon-y Shrimp n Grits? They're saucy, salty, savory and oh-so comforting. (And quite often served for brunch, especially in the South.)

So if we can get onboard with Shrimp n Grits, there's no reason to fear Savory Oatmeal.

There are countless ways to make oatmeal savory, but my favorite way is this:
Take your favorite omelette or quiche fillings, saute them up and stir them into cooked oats.

It's as simple as that!

How to make the best Savory Oatmeal:

1. Cook up your favorite type of oatmeal (I'm a big fan of steel-cut oats for the texture, but old-fashioned or gluten-free will do here as well!) with water and a little salt.

2. When oats are done, season them with savory spices. Maybe some garlic, thyme, oregano or basil.

3. Saute your favorite savory breakfast fillings: any veggies you like, a little onion, and your breakfast meat of choice. Or not! It's all up to you!

4. Combine your cooked veggies with your oatmeal.

5. Fry up an egg, if you like, and drop it on top. Nothin' like a little yolk-action to pull it all together!

There's nothing better than a slow weekend morning sipping coffee and making savory breakfast. But I urge you to forget about omelettes or quiche or avo toast just this once and hop on board the Savory Oatmeal train! I promise we're going somewhere delicious.

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Savory Oatmeal with a Fried Egg and Bacon

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
• 2/3 cup steel-cut oats
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon diced
• 1/4 cup red pepper diced
• 1/4 cup green pepper diced
• 1/4 cup onion diced
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon everything bagel seasoning divided (optional)

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Once boiling, add in the oats, then lower to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until desired thickness is reached. Then add in the other 1/4 teaspoon salt and the olive oil, thyme, basil, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir well, cover and set aside.
  
  
• In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add the diced bacon. Let cook for 4-5 minutes until starting to render, then add in the diced red and green pepper and onion. Stir well and let cook for another 6-8 minutes until bacon is cooked through and vegetables are softened. Pour the sauteed bacon and veggies into the oatmeal, then return the pan to the medium-low heat.
  
  
• Crack the egg into the hot pan and let cook for about 3-4 minutes until the white sets. Remove to a plate and repeat with the second egg.
  
  
• Split the oatmeal between two bowls, then top each with an egg and a shake of everything bagel seasoning, if desired!