Savory Steel-Cut Oats With Fried Egg and Za’atar

By David Tanis

Published April 7, 2020

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(503)
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Oat porridge for breakfast is often topped with brown sugar and cream. Though sweetened porridge is delicious, a savory approach with oats makes a nice change. Think of oats as a fine substitute for rice — you don’t always want rice pudding, do you? Steel-cut oats have a nutty whole-grain flavor and retain a nubbly texture, far superior to rolled oats; they pair nicely with savory toppings, for a risotto-like effect. This easy, hearty dish is actually suitable for any time of day, not just morning. If you can’t find za’atar (a splendid spice mix of wild thyme, sumac and sesame used throughout the Middle East), try a sprinkling of toasted ground cumin or a pinch of oregano, or a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. It’s hard to cook a single portion of oats, so make the full batch. Leftovers can be reheated for another day’s breakfast. (And if rolled oats is all you have, it’s no crime.)

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Ingredients

Yield:1 serving

  • 1 cup steel-cut oats (pinhead, not rolled)

  • Salt

  • Extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 large egg

  • A few strips of roasted red pepper (jarred is fine)

  • 1 teaspoon chopped scallion

  • Red-pepper flakes

  • Za’atar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Boil 3 cups water in a small saucepan. Add oats with a big pinch of salt, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Cover and let rest off heat for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Beat in a little boiling water if oats are too firm.

  2. Step 2

    In a small skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Fry egg sunny side up.

  3. Step 3

    Put oats in a low bowl and place egg on top. Garnish with strips of roasted pepper. Sprinkle with scallion, red-pepper flakes to taste, and finish with about ½ teaspoon za’atar. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.

Tip

  • If serving more than one person, just fry extra eggs and adjust quantities of condiments.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
503 user ratings
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Comments

Radha

I often add an egg to my steel cut oats during the last 2-1/2 minutes of cooking. I simmer oats for 16 minutes, then crack the egg on top and cover. It makes a perfect steamed egg to eat with the oatmeal. For a single serving, I use 1/4 cup oats and 1 cup of water.

Equilibrist

I love making savory oats, though I usually begin with chicken broth and maybe some sort of pepper (Calabrian chiles, chili crunch, Korean pepper). I beat the egg and add it for the last minute or so of cooking the oats, then top with scallions and grated Parmesan or pecorino, or perhaps kimchi and toasted sesame seeds.

Bob

I used chicken broth instead of water to add more flavor to the oats.

Toofaraway

For oats without the baby-food texture, skip the boiling, and cook the steel-cut oats as you would cook the rice in a traditional pilaf. After the usual sauteing of aromatics and seasoning is done, add the same amount of water as of oats, cover and cook for 12 minutes on medium low heat (5 minutes under pressure in the Instant Pot), and you'll end up with an end product that resembles rice in texture. For good examples, check out oats upma recipes online.

Cheryl

I used harissa instead of red pepper flakes and it was delicious

RD Carleson

One cup of steel cut oats cooked is a very large serving. According to Web MD the oats alone would have 515 to 640 calories. This before adding any other ingredients. I normally use 1/4 cup of oats and 3/4 cup water

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