A savory twist on traditional oatmeal. Shrimp and cheddar oatmeal combines steel cut oats with sharp cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and shrimp! It’s a unique way to enjoy oatmeal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Not so long ago, the mere idea of adding a fried egg to my morning oatmeal made my stomach feel queasy. It sounded unappetizing until I finally gave it a try. I made this Asian congee-style oats and immediately became a fan of savory oatmeal!
This led me to experiment with other flavor combinations such as miso barley oatmeal. And, now this shrimp and cheddar oatmeal. It’s my oatmeal version of cheesy shrimp and grits.
Ingredients
The ingredients list for this dish is short and simple! You will be cooked steel-cut oatmeal, shrimp, bacon, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Traditionally, steel-cut oats take a long time to cook. It takes upwards of 35 minutes of constant stirring to achieve that rich, creamy, thick consistency. I suggest trying my overnight steel cut oats method.
Before bedtime, bring a pot of water and steel-cut oats to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately cover. Let the mixture sit overnight. The following morning, simply reheat the pot until the oats are creamy and cooked. That’s it!
Or, you can use quick cook steel cut oats. Various brands have different options with cook times ranging from three to five minutes.
I prefer to purchase raw large shrimp. It should be listed as 26/30 or 26-30 pieces per pound on the packaging. Fresh or frozen shrimp are one in the same. Most “fresh” shrimp sold at markets (yes, even the fancy ones) have been frozen and thawed.
For the sake of ease, I like to use deveined, shelled shrimp. Defrost frozen shrimp overnight in the fridge. Use within 2 days of defrosting.
Bacon adds a world of flavor to this savory oatmeal. Render the bacon fat to quickly sauté the shrimp with some minced garlic. Save additional rendered fat for garnishing the dish.
Any type of cheddar cheese works. I recommend aged sharp cheddar cheese. However, there are so many options to chose from. Smoked cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese, or Vermont cheddar cheese are equally great substitutes.
Garnish the shrimp and cheddar oatmeal with chives or green onions. It adds that kick of freshness that rounds out the entire dish.
Assembly
Gather all the components and get ready to build!
Heat up the oats and stir in the cheddar cheese. It only takes seconds for the cheese to melt thus creating a super creamy oatmeal. Adjust amount of cheese according to your taste preferences.
Top the cheddar oatmeal with bacon, shrimp, and chives. Drizzle reserved rendered bacon fat over that oats for additional flavor!
More Savory Breakfast
Shrimp and Cheddar Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 slice thick bacon
- 1 garlic clove, , minced
- 4 medium sized shrimp, , fresh or frozen*
- kosher salt,, to taste
- fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- ½ cup Steel-Cut Oatmeal, (cooked to packaged instructions)
- ⅓ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- chopped chives or green onions,, to garnish
Instructions
- Place bacon slice in a cold pan. Set over low-medium heat and slowly cook. As bacon starts to curl, turn over and cook on the other side. Continue to cook and turn over, as needed until bacon is browned to your desired level of crispness. As the bacon cooks, it will render fat. Keep rendered fat to cook shrimp. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate and allow to slightly cool.
- In the same pan you cooked bacon, add 1 Tbsp of reserved bacon fat. Set over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cook on one side 45-60 seconds. As shrimp starts to get pink, flip over to the other side. Cook for another 45-60 seconds until shrimp is pink. Remove from heat.
- Pour oatmeal into a microwave safe container. Microwave for 2 minutes, or until warm. Add shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to combine. Transfer cheesy oatmeal to serving plate. Add cooked shrimp, crumbled bacon, and chives. Drizzle bacon oil, if desired. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Large shrimp should be listed as 26/30 or 26-30 pieces per pound on the packaging. Fresh or frozen shrimp are one in the same. Most “fresh” shrimp sold at markets (yes, even the fancy ones) have been frozen and thawed.
- For the sake of ease, I like to use deveined, shelled shrimp. Defrost frozen shrimp overnight in the fridge. Use within 2 days of defrosting.
- Any type of cheddar cheese works. I recommend aged sharp cheddar cheese. However, there are so many options to chose from. Smoked cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese, or Vermont cheddar cheese are equally great substitutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Great recipe! Quick, easy, delicious, nutritious, & well-suited to a variety of substitutions: different chesse, seasonings, onions instead of chives. & other swaps
Thank you for giving the recipe a try!
Same favor sort of, but texturally disappointing I’ll stick to grits.
Love this!
I first tried shrimps and grits when visiting family in Atlanta years ago. Always wondered if I could do the same with my oats. We use Bobs red mill ORGANIC Scottish oats. I did a web search to see if someone out there had done shrimps and oats, and found your page! I will give it a go sans cheese for the first time, then throw in some cheddar when I am ready to dabble in something more exciting.
Happy eating, from sunny Bermuda!
Thanks Maya! I’m so glad you found me. Happy cooking! Hope you fall in love with savory oats! :)
This is simply stunning, Maryanne! Shrimp and grits is a favorite of mine; I love the healthier twist you brought to the classic. :)
I’ve never had savory oatmeal, but I’ve been craving this dish since I first saw it in my feed earlier in the week! This is so creative and who doesn’t love a meal that can come together fast (so you can avoid getting hangry while you wait for grits!).
I couldn’t stop gawking at the amazingness of this on insta like seriously!! It is fantastic!
Thank you so much Jocelyn!!! :)
This looks fantastic, MaryanneI love oatmeal but have never tried a savory version either. I love all the ingredients so would definitely try this :)
Thanks Kelly! Give it a try! :)
Savory oatmeal??? You are literally blowing my mind with this. I don’t love grits, but your oatmeal looks so good I’d be willing to give this a try!
YES! Savory oatmeal! Never thought I’d like it, but it’s quite good :) The texture of this is less like grits and more like porridge :)
WOW! Great recipe! This is a fabulous idea that I never would have thought of! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Jeni! I thought I was crazy to put cheese in oatmeal but it turned out to be great! Hope you try it out :)
Wow! This is one of the wildest things you’ve made, and it did not disappoint; cheddar and oatmeal are not the most typical of combinations. I love the photos too.
Thank you Alex for being my cheese shredder :)