When we were presented with the opportunity to move to the island we currently live on, my husband and I decided that this is a perfect opportunity to make a couple changes in our lives. So we agreed to set some goals and do our best to reach (and then maintain) them.
To me, our biggest goal was to make it a habit to work out on a daily basis and eat clean and healthy. And after 2 years of living on Virgin Gorda, I feel as though we did a good job on reaching these 2 goals, and most importantly, maintaining them.

Though I must say at the beginning I found it difficult to find recipes or recipe ideas, in time and with baby steps, I found my own style of home cooking that made us both happy.

One very important lesson that I learned along the way about eating healthy is to never skip on breakfast. It was not long after that we realized that if we have a full breakfast in the morning, we do not get as hungry as we used to compared to the days that we skipped breakfast.
So I started with making small changes to our breakfast habits and what we eat for breakfast.
For example, I switched us from having a chocolate chip cookie or a piece of cake to having a bowl of oatmeal with almond milk. I eliminated the bread and jelly part from our peanut butter jelly sandwich and switched us to eating unsweetened natural peanut butter with a ripe banana. To increase our green leafy vegetable intake, I started making smoothies with baby spinach. Instead of putting sugar in our smoothies I used freshly cut fruits.
With these little changes, in time, we both started seeing major changes on the scale and in the way that we felt.

When my friend Chrissann served us this One-Pot Savory Steel Cut Oatmeal for breakfast the other day, I was very excited to be introduced to such a delicious and healthy breakfast option. Originally created by her brother Kyle, this dish is a perfect way to incorporate veggies into your diet.
About this One-Pot Savory Steel Cut Oats
To make it, I used vegetables like broccoli, green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and carrots but you can easily use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge.

For this version of the recipe, I flavored it with Asian condiments like soy sauce, miso paste, and fresh ginger, but if you’d like you can always switch it up and make it using Mexican condiments like black beans, corn, paprika, jalapenos, etc.
It is so versatile that literally, the sky is the limit.
I used an egg to add color and increase its nutritional value with some animal protein, but if you prefer it by its vegan self, it tastes just as good.
You know what they say , “Have breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a peasant”. If you are like us and want to eat like a king in the morning, this easy-to-make and delicious One-Pot Savory Steel Cut Oats recipe is one that you should definitely try.
One-Pot Savory Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 1 red/green bell pepper chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1 cup broccoli chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and pressed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1 cup Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 cup edamame beans
- 1 cup steel cut oats* I used McCann’s Irish Steel Cut Oats
- 2 tablespoon black or white sesame seeds
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons miso paste
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce optional
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 4 fried eggs optional
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil in a large pot with a lid (I used my Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add onions and peppers. Cook until wilted, 7-8 minutes.
- Add zucchini, broccoli, and carrots, and cook, stirring frequently, until all vegetables are tender, 12-15 minutes.
- Add garlic, mushrooms, and ginger. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the steel cut oats. Stirring constantly, toast them with all the vegetables, 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the sesame seeds, vegetable broth, soy sauce, miso paste, and Sriracha sauce (if using). Close it with the lid and cook for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the edamame beans and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Serve with chopped green onions, a fried egg (if using), and black sesame seeds on top.
Notes
Nutrition
A recipe created by my friends Kyle and Chrissann Nickel.
Maryam
Last night, I wanted to finally make something with our steel cut oats. I had a hard time finding a savory recipe, but then I found yours. OMG, it tastes so delicious–just as it seemed! I made tomato chutney and kabob on the side, but this is a very wholesome dish on its own!
Thank you for this recipe, Aysegul! This will be a repeat for sure 🙂
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Maryam,
This makes so SO happy. This recipe is such a creative way of using steel cut oats. We make it often in our house for sure.
So happy to hear that you liked it as well. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers,
Aysegul
Maryam
🙂
Of course!
Stephanie Green
Thanks for the recipe – I always like when they come with videos!! I have every ingredient except fresh ginger, can I use ground ginger instead?
Stephanie Green
Nevermind! My lovely husband ran to store for fresh ginger ?
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Stephanie,
I am so sorry to have seen this too late. You could have used ground ginger but I am glad he picked it up for you.
I make this dish whenever I have veggies that are about to go bad in the fridge. I love the fact that I can put anything I want in there.
It is not only super healthy, but also delicious and filling.
I hope you thought so too. 🙂
Monica
Well done video Aysegul!
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Monica.. I hope you’ll get a chance to make it. 🙂
Chrissann
Thanks for making this into an actual recipe, so excited to have this to share with people who always ask me how I make my oats savory! 🙂
Aysegul Sanford
Ahh you are welcome.. Thank you for a wonderful recipe my friend!