Date Published: Aug 12, 2022 | Last Updated: Aug 12, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: healthy, low cal, mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 35 mins

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Oats are great at lowering cholesterol and because of this I’m always trying to sneak them in my recipes in an attempt to make them healthier. They’re heart-healthy, a low carb alternative, and add more fibre to your diet. I LOVE risotto and I could eat it all day every day, so when I first heard about using oats instead of arborio rice in a risotto, I was skeptical. The first time I gave it a shot, I was disappointed – it turned out weird, slimy, and goopy. Toby didn’t mind it as much, but as a risotto-fanatic, it just couldn’t compare. I recently decided to give it another try and I realized where I went wrong the first time.

The key to a good oats-risotto is moisture.

The key to a good oats-risotto is moisture. The oats absorb moisture a lot quicker than a rice-based risotto and will continue to soak up liquid even after you turn the heat off. In a rice-based risotto, the more you cook down the liquid and allow it to absorb, the softer and mushier the rice becomes. However when you’re using oats, the oats don’t become mushy, they become gluey – like a breakfast oatmeal/porridge. Therefore, to prevent it from getting goopy, you have to keep the oats-risotto wetter and turn off the heat earlier before all the liquid absorbs.

How to fix a goopy, gluey oats-risotto:

If you’ve accidentally taken your oats-risotto a bit too far, don’t worry, just add more moisture! You can either add in more hot stock or hot water and mix it around. If you have leftovers that have dried out a little in the fridge, add a splash of hot water and mix it around before serving.

Steel Cut Oats vs Rolled Oats vs Quick Oats – what’s the difference?

You MUST use steel cut oats for this recipe. The difference between these three types of oats is all about the way they’re cut and processed. Steel cut is the least processed of the three which results in more fibre but also because of this you’ll need to cook it down longer than the other three which is what makes it perfect for this dish. Risotto is all about slow absorption of the stock and letting the flavours simmer and infuse into the “rice”. If you use rolled or quick oats, it’d absorb liquid too quickly and expand and become soggy.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Recipe adapted from: FoxesLovesLemons.com

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

• Half a butternut squash, cubed to 2cm pieces
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 Tbsps unsalted butter
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 500g white mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp ground dried sage
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup steel cut oats
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180˚C.

Prepare a lined baking pan and add in the cubed butternut squash. Sprinkle salt and pepper overtop and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix together and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 mins until soft and roasted. Set aside to cool.

In a sauce pan, heat up the chicken stock.

In a large pan or wok on MED heat, add in the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in leeks and sauté for a few minutes until softened.

Next add in the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and sage. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms cook down and turn a deep brown colour (see photo). Add in the wine and let it simmer for 1 minute.

Next add in the steel cut oats and 2 ladles of the preheated chicken stock. Mix everything around and let it simmer. Once the liquid has absorbed, continue adding in 1 ladle of stock at a time, making sure to let the liquid fully absorb before adding in the next ladle. You don’t need to stir continuously, but do stir it every couple minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

When you get to the last ladle of chicken stock, give it a mix and do NOT let the liquid fully absorb. Only let it absorb about 70%. Stir in the Parmesan and the cooked butternut squash and turn off the heat. You want the oats-risotto to be a little wetter than usual because the oats will continue to absorb the liquid even after you turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve! If the texture is too dry and goopy for you, mix in more hot chicken stock or hot water before serving.

Summarized Recipe: