How to Make Overnight Steel-Cut Oats

Comfort food: a steaming bowl of wholegrain oatmeal on a cold morning.

Including whole grains in your diet can aid in getting rid of fat and cholesterol from your system. Whole grains such as steel-cut oats will also supply your body with valuable antioxidants that help fight diseases---everything from the common cold to heart disease and diabetes. Because steel-cut oats are a whole grain they tend to take longer to cook than regular oatmeal, but when you consider the health benefits and factor in the comfort of a steaming bowl of delicious oats on a cold winter's morning, a little prep work the night before is well worth it.

Things You'll Need

• 1 1/2 cups steel cut oats (available in the cereal aisle of most grocery stores)
• 6 cups water
• Large sauce pan with a lid
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, such as blueberries, cranberries or raisins
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• milk
• brown or granulated sugar

Instructions

The Night Before

1. Combine oats and water in the saucepan.

2. Bring the oats and water to a boil over high heat. Once the oats are boiling, reduce the heat to medium and boil for one minute.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it with a lid.

4. Let the oats rest over night.

In the Morning

1. Remove the lid from the saucepan.

2. Bring the oats and water to a boil again over high heat.

3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the oats for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Remove the oats from the heat and stir in the dried fruit, nuts and vanilla.

5. Serve the oatmeal with milk and sugar.

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative with your add-ins. You can use any type of nuts or dried fruit or try adding spices like cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg. If desired, you can sweeten the oatmeal with honey.

• Leftover oatmeal can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to three days. Re-heat it in the microwave and it will be just as tasty as the first day you made it.

References

• Tip of the Day: Health Benefits of Steel Cut Oatmeal
• Versagrain.com: Health Benefits of Oatmeal