I stumbled across dozens of pictures of beautiful and fruity Summer Porridge  jars while looking for a recipe for overnight oatmeal online.

My interest in cooked oatmeal suddenly vanished and I absolutely had to try this Euro breakfast classic. It called for the most delightful things — Old fashioned Oats, milk, Greek yogurt, and fruit plus various optional add-ins and sweeteners. Oh. And there was one more ingredient — chia. I didn’t have any, but that didn’t stop me from plunging ahead. I just skipped it. (You may already be aware that I’m a make-it-with-what’s-on-hand sorta gal.)

Many of the pictures online were of Summer Porridge in darling mason jars. All my canning jars were down in the basement and it was 10 at night when I decided to try this experiment.  So instead slogging down into the depths of the house, I grabbed little plastic containers out of the cupboard and began making my first batches of Refrigerator Oatmeal.

It was so simple that I think it actually took longer to get the ingredients out of the cupboard than it did to mix it up and pop it in the fridge.  (I had  fresh strawberries and dried blueberries for the test batch…dried fruit works well.  I used raspberry jam as my sweetener, a few drops of vanilla and some sliced almonds.  Oh yum.)

The next morning I found that my mixture had thickened up  and was absolutely delicious. Oatmeal ambrosia.    It was dessert for breakfast, but with healthy attributes. And at under 300 calories it was a very filling and satisfying bargain.  Oh and no chia seeds necessary unless you want them.

The next time I made it, I put it in my glass dessert bowls to serve it, as pictured. Summer Porridge truly deserves a beautiful presentation if there is time. However it is a fabulous grab-n-go.  The covered jars (glass or plastic)  will last several days in the fridge.  The mix-in possibilities are endless.  So many flavors to try…and only 1 breakfast a day. (Unless you’re a hobbit, of course. 🙂 ) Enjoy! Laura

Summer Porridge or Refrigerator Oatmeal

Laura Hickman

Summer Porridge for breakfast is an easy and thrifty delight.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Total Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1/3 cup uncooked old fashioned dry oats
• 1/3-1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup will make a thinner mixture
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tsps. sugar free berry jam optional
• 1/3 cup berries or other cut up fruit i.e. sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, banana, peaches, mango, etc.
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
• 1 T. chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, pecans optional
• 1 tsp. chia seeds optional

Instructions

 

• Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a small covered container and place in the refrigerator overnight. Mixture will be ready to eat in the morning. No cooking needed.
• Please note: You can wait to add the fresh fruit till just before serving, if you wish.

Keyword summer porridge

P.S.  Oh and in case you wanted to know here’s what I found out about overnight cooked oats; Using steel cut oats and water according to package directions.  Bring water to a boil and stir in steel cut oats.  Bring back to a boil, turn off heat and cover with lid.  Leave covered on the back of the range overnight.  In the morning open the pan and warm over low heat while stirring or in micro-proof container.  It works!

Thanks to these inspirations:

Pineapple and Coconut   Betty Crocker   Grocery Budget 101   Green Kitchen Stories   The Yummy Life