Banana Nut Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Steel-cut oats, overripe bananas and walnuts come together for a healthy, hearty breakfast that tastes like it just came out of grandma’s oven.

You know what I get really mad at myself for doing? Wasting bananas. There are so many things you can do with them, there’s basically no reason they should hit the trash… except bananas are one of those foods that you either want all the time or not at all. That’s the way it always goes right? You can’t keep them in the house one week, so the next you buy more and suddenly everyone’s over it.

This, my friends, is an easy solution. And a delicious one.

This Banana Nut Steel-Cut Oatmeal is sweet (but not too sweet) and toasty, with warming cinnamon to round everything out. It’s just creamy enough, thanks to mashed bananas and almond milk—but the chewy steel cut oats keep their nutty bite with a quick toast in browned butter.

The perfect time to make this oatmeal is when the bananas are overripe. I personally like bananas best when they have a few brown spots, but you’re going to want to wait until they’re just a little too brown. They should be very soft and almost too easy to mash.

You can use bananas that are less ripe, but you’ll lose some of the sweetness. You can always add a little more sugar to make up for it if that bothers you. But a little piece of advice: If the banana has green on it, don’t bother. Wrong flavor profile, not worth it unless you’re pretty desperate for potassium. Maybe just eat the banana if you’ve got shin splints.

P.S. White beans, leafy greens and potatoes have more potassium than bananas anyway. Zuppa Toscana anyone?

If you really need an overripe banana now, you can always see if your local store has a section for overripe discounted fruit. Mine sells bags of overripe bananas for baked goods.

How Are Steel-Cut Oats Different?

I get into that more in my recipe post for Apple Cinnamon Porridge, but the quick answer is that it’s less processed than your typical rolled oats, which makes it chewier, more nutritious, and it keeps you full longer.

How to meal prep using Steel-Cut Oats

This is also a great recipe for the new year, because it’s super easy, healthy and you can make a big batch and separate it out into jars to heat quickly or even take with you. I see you trying to make changes, I appreciate you for making the effort!

I like to separate it out into 8 oz jars with some walnuts and bananas on top. Easy peasy! You could do bigger jars of course, but a little goes a long way with this recipe.

You can totally eat this in the car on the way to the container store. It’ll give you strength for the the inevitable argument over whether you actually need that gift wrap organizer 🙃

Recipes like this were huge for me when I had an office job. I’m not NOT a morning person, I just don’t like to be rushed.

I’d walk in like a zombie, but with a container of oatmeal and a giant thermos of coffee. I’m a work-eater*, so having my breakfast while I caught up on email and did research for my news releases almost (almost) felt leisurely.

*Grazing on charcuterie as I write this, for the record.

Honestly though, you need to bring the discipline to make this last all week, because if you’re like me, there’s a strong chance you’ll eat a significant amount with a wooden spoon.

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Apple Cinnamon Porridge