Name: Slow Cooker Savory Oatmeal with Bacon, Scallions, and Cheddar
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 4 hours or 9 hours, depending on setting
Yield: Makes about 5 cups
Ingredients: Butter, for greasing; 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats; Kosher salt; 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon; 5 scallions, trimmed, light green and white parts thinly sliced, plus the dark green parts, sliced for topping; 8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (about 2 heaping cups); Freshly ground black pepper; Fried or poached eggs, for topping (1 per person; optional); 5- to 7-quart slow cooker

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Photo by Andrew Purcell

This savory oatmeal is reminiscent of cheesy grits: very creamy and rich with little bits of crisp bacon. An egg on top is terrific if you like your lilies gilded.

Recipe information

Total Time
4 hours or 9 hours, depending on setting
Yield
Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing

1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats

Kosher salt

1/2 pound thick-cut bacon

5 scallions, trimmed, light green and white parts thinly sliced, plus the dark green parts, sliced for topping

8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (about 2 heaping cups)

Freshly ground black pepper

Fried or poached eggs, for topping (1 per person; optional)

Equipment

5- to 7-quart slow cooker

Preparation

Step 1
Generously butter a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the oats, 4 cups water, and I teaspoon salt. Cook until the oatmeal is thick and tender: on LOW for 4 hours or on LOW for 2 hours followed by WARM for 6 to 7 hours.
Step 2
Put the bacon into a cold large skillet and bring the heat to medium. Cook, flipping a couple times, until the bacon has rendered a lot of its fat and is deeply browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then coarsely chop. You can do this right before serving the oatmeal or the day before, in which case store the crisped bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature before using.
Step 3
When the oatmeal is done, stir in the bacon, white and light green scallion slices, and about three-quarters of the cheese (about 6 ounces). Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary and a few grinds of pepper. Serve in bowls topped with the remaining cheese, the dark green sliced scallions, and eggs, if you like.

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From Adventures in Slow Cooking: 120 Slow-Cooker Recipes for People Who Love Food © 2017 by Sarah DiGregorio. Reprinted with permission by William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.