Savoury Porridge Recipe: Healthy and Budget-Friendly

This post is part of the Eating on a Budget series, which includes the essential tools, tricks and tips that underpin eating on a budget, and a collection of recipes to put those tools into practice.

Porridge is a meal I eat almost every day. Typically, I enjoy sweet porridge for breakfast, made with oats, milk, and a sweetener.

But that’s not the only way to enjoy porridge. Oats are much more versatile than that, and shine in the savoury context, too.

In this savoury porridge recipe, I’ll show you exactly that.

What are oats, and what is porridge?

But first, what are oats, and what is porridge?

Oats are a cereal grain, like wheat or barley. The seed of the oat (what we usually refer to as oats) is dried and rolled out, making it easier and more enjoyable for humans to digest.

We creatively named these oats rolled oats. The non-rolled version of oats, which is uncommon, has a much better name: pinhead oats. Rolled oats that are ground finer are usually called instant oats or quick oats. They won’t beat you in a run, but they’ll absolutely cook faster.

Whatever form they come in, oats are popular in the health-oriented community because they’re (usually) gluten-free and richer in nutrients.

Oats can be found across the world, especially in Scotland, which is where the origins of porridge is usually linked.

Porridge is essentially stewed oats. Porridge is made by mixing oats with water or milk and slowly cooking it over a gentle heat to form a consistent stew. That description makes them sound disgusting, but oats are (in my humble opinion) delicious.

If you’re wondering what the difference is between oats, oatmeal and porridge, it all depends on which side of the Atlantic you’re on. In short, they’re all used interchangeably to refer to the same thing. In the UK, we usually refer to both uncooked and cooked oats as porridge. Confusing, right?

Why oats?

Great question. Aside from them being delicious, there’s a few reasons you should be eating oats.

First off, they’re generally considered nutritious. According to Healthline, 1 cup of oats provides:

• Calories: 307
• Water: 8.7 grams
• Protein: 10.7 grams
• Carbs: 54.8 grams
• Sugar: 0.8 grams
• Fiber: 8.1 grams
• Fat: 5.3 grams

Oats are also contain manganese, phosphorus, copper, vitamin B1, iron, selenium, magnesium and zinc.

Secondly, oats are extremely cheap.

In New Zealand, a sack of rolled oats (around 750g) only costs around $2.50 (approx. £1.20, $1.50 USD).

Third, and most subjectively of all, they taste cracking.

How does savoury porridge work?

Savoury porridge is made pretty much exactly the same way we’d make a sweet porridge: we cook oats in some liquid until they reach the desired consistency, then we add whatever toppings we like.

But instead of stewing the oats in, say, milk and sugar, and topping with chocolate, peanut butter, and banana, we stew them in stock and salt and top with, say, fried bacon and avocado (you can still add the peanut butter, though).

The base recipe is simple: oats, stock¹ (I’m using chicken, but any stock works) and salt. (Note: the stock may be very salty already, so additional salt may be unnecessary).

After that, the possibilities are endless. You can add herbs and spices to the stew and top the porridge with any toppings you like or have on hand.

Would savoury overnight oats work?

While savoury overnight oats do technically work, in my opinion, they don’t taste very good.

If you wanted to make overnight oats, you could mix together all the ingredients in a jar and leave it sealed in the fridge overnight.

It would be totally edible, if not as enjoyable.

Savoury Porridge Recipe

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 140g quick oats
• 1 chicken stock (OXO cube)
• 420ml boiling water
• 2 tbsp butter
• Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
• 1 tsp Marmite (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Mix the oats, water, soy sauce, Marmite, butter, black pepper and stock in a saucepan. Whisk everything together.
   
2. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat until the oats have thickened into a homogeneous mass, about 3-5 minutes. Stir regularly.
   
3. Turn off the heat and mix in the lemon juice (or balsamic). Taste and adjust the salt as needed².
   
4. Split the porridge between two bowls. Add any toppings you like — this is a great way to use leftovers (e.g. boiled eggs, fried bacon, nigella seeds, maple syrup, chicken, pickled onions, etc)³.
   

Notes

1. Stock is what us Brits call broth, by the way. Make sure to use boiling water.
2. The stock, Marmite and soy sauce all contain salt, so you may not need any salt at all.
3. I have used a weird mix — green beans, yoghurt, cheese and nutmeg pickle. All random leftovers.