Savory Butternut Squash Oatmeal—Good Eats?

The previous couple of weeks had been a bit stressful and busy, but with life settling down a little more I had a rather quiet day at home.  I simply wanted to relax and play in the kitchen a bit by testing out some food storage recipes. You know that I’m always on the lookout for any recipe that makes good use of food storage items.  And the whole idea of savory oatmeal intrigued me.  And while I’m not completely sold on these recipes, it’s not like they tasted bad.  Maybe we just need time and exposure to get used to them.

I think another of the problems with savory oatmeal recipes is that they are indeed savory.  Because when most of us hear “oatmeal,” we’re conditioned to associate it with something sweet, like it is normally prepared for American breakfasts.  And then when the oatmeal isn’t sweet, we’re disappointed.  So that’s one hurdle.  A third is the texture.  It’s a little foreign to us.  But if you can negotiate those hurdles, you’re well on your way to enjoying this dish.  It’s actually rather similar to risotto.

I posted about the Pizza Oatmeal I had for lunch last week.  Today’s post reviews the butternut squash oatmeal we had for dinner later that night. 

Butternut Squash Oatmeal

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

½ cup milk

½ cup bouillon

½ cup rolled oats

1 cup butternut squash, cubed and roasted*

½ cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in oil until the onions are translucent.  Add the milk and bouillon and bring to a boil.  Stir in the oats and reduce heat to medium.  Stir in the squash and season with salt and pepper.  Cook a minute or two and then stir in the spinach.  Serves 1 (main course) or 2 (side dish).

*Note.  Other winter squash or sweet potato can be substituted for the butternut squash.  It’s a great way to use up those leftovers.  And the squash can be cubed and then roasted, or vice versa to add a little diversity to the menu.

Family reviews:  Aaron liked it better than the Pizza Oatmeal.  I think I did too.  Not sure.  Oh, and Aaron and I both agree that it would work better as a side dish to ham or meatballs rather than the main course.  Will I be making this again?  As a side dish to meat, most likely.  As a main course for my adult family, no.  For toddlers? I think I could pull it off, and as you can tell by looking at the recipe, it’s quite nutritious.  For adults outside my family that I needed to feed but not necessarily impress?  Definitely. 

Links to related posts:

Basic Food Storage—Oats  

Savory Oatmeal—Good Eats?