Savory Oatmeal with Fried Egg
Creamy rolled oats simmered in chicken broth with garlic and scallions, stirred with sharp cheddar and topped with a crispy-edged fried egg. It's a quick, filling breakfast or light dinner.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 16 min
- Wait
- 2 min
- Total
- 28 min
- Makes
- 2 generous bowls
Steps
Before you start
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats. Instant oats turn mushy, and steel-cut oats need much more liquid and time.
- Use low-sodium broth. The cheddar and salt add more seasoning, and you can adjust at the end.
- Shred the cheddar from a block if you can. It melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
- Have the bowls ready. The oats thicken quickly once they come off the heat, so the eggs should be ready to fry as soon as the oats finish resting.
Prep the ingredients
- Trim and thinly slice the scallions, keeping the whites and pale greens in one pile and the dark greens in another.
- Mince the garlic and grate the cheddar.
- Crack each egg into its own small bowl.
- Measure the broth and water into a liquid measuring cup.
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Ready when: Everything is measured and within reach of the stove.
Tip: Cracking the eggs into bowls first lets you slide them into the hot pan quickly and avoids shell in the pan.
Soften the aromatics
- Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the scallion whites and pale greens and the garlic.
- Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: The scallions are soft and bright, and the garlic smells fragrant but hasn't browned.
Tip: If the garlic starts to brown, lower the heat. Browned garlic turns bitter.
Toast the oats
- Add the oats to the saucepan and stir to coat them in the butter.
- Toast for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
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Ready when: The oats smell nutty and look slightly glossy.
Add liquid and boil
- Pour in the broth and water, add a pinch of salt (about ⅛ teaspoon), and stir well.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil, about 3 minutes.
- Stir once or twice.
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Ready when: Small bubbles break steadily across the surface.
Tip: Start with a small amount of salt. The broth and cheese add salt, so you can adjust at the end.
Simmer until creamy
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every minute or so and scraping the bottom, so the oats don't stick.
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Ready when: The oats are tender with a little chew, and the mixture is thick and creamy. A spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail that closes slowly.
Tip: It should look slightly looser than you want to eat it. The oats keep thickening as they rest.
Rest the oats
- Take the pan off the heat and cover it.
- Let it rest for 2 minutes while you heat the skillet for the eggs.
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Ready when: The oats are thick and spoonable, not soupy.
Fry the eggs
- Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, until it shimmers.
- Slide in both eggs.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Keep cooking until the whites are fully set and the edges are brown and lacy.
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Ready when: The whites are opaque and firm with crispy edges. The yolks are as runny or set as you like. For firm yolks, cook another 1 minute.
Tip: For a firmer, fully cooked egg, cover the skillet for the last minute or flip carefully and cook 30 seconds.
Stir in the cheese
- Return the saucepan to low heat, or leave it off the heat.
- Stir in the cheddar until it melts and the oats look smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
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Ready when: The cheese has melted completely, with no visible shreds.
Tip: Adding the cheese off the heat or on low heat keeps it from turning greasy or stringy.
Assemble and serve
- Divide the oatmeal between two warm bowls.
- Top each with a fried egg, a sprinkle of the dark green scallions, and a grind of black pepper.
- Add hot sauce if you like.
- Serve right away.
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Ready when: The oatmeal is hot and creamy, and the egg is still warm with crisp edges.
Tip: Break the yolk and stir it into the oats for an extra-rich sauce.
Good to know
Tips
- Stir often during the simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan, because oats in broth can scorch more easily than oats in water.
- Cook the eggs after the oats rest so both are hot at the same time.
- Make the oats a little looser than you want them, since they firm up quickly as they cool.
- Add toppings such as crisp bacon, sautéed mushrooms, or chili crisp for more flavor and texture.
Make ahead
"The cooked oatmeal base (through step 5, without cheese) can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool it, refrigerate it, and reheat it with a splash of broth or water. Fry the eggs fresh."
Storage & reheating
"Oatmeal base (without egg): refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months in portions. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, stirring in 2 to 4 tablespoons of broth or water per serving until creamy, then add fresh cheese if you like. Fried eggs are best fresh. Don't leave cooked oatmeal at room temperature for more than 2 hours."
Substitutions
- low-sodium chicken broth → vegetable broth. Gives a vegetarian version with a similar savory flavor.
- sharp cheddar cheese → Gruyère, Parmesan, or pepper jack. Use the same weight. Parmesan is saltier, so reduce the added salt.
- unsalted butter → olive oil. Use 1 tablespoon (15 ml). The flavor is slightly less rich.
- old-fashioned rolled oats → quick-cooking oats. Reduce the simmer time to 2 to 3 minutes. The texture will be softer.
