I love savoury and full flavoured foods; and although I have porridge oats in the traditional way with milk and sugar, I see it as a functional breakfast. Something to slurp quickly before I rush out of the house on a normal workday. I must say this savoury oats jollof with spinach is a far cry from the bland and boring oats. It is a delicious treat which we all look forward to eating in my family.
If you have a busy day ahead, and have little time, but want to have a healthy cooked breakfast, then this savoury oats jollof is for you. It is super tasty, and you get slow releasing energy from the oats to sustain you through the day. You can also have savoury oatmeal at other times of the day – it is great for lunch or dinner.
Oatmeal is not only a cheap source of complex carbohydrates and fibre; it is also a versatile food and we don’t do it enough justice by just cooking with milk and sugar. You can jazz it up with spices and fruits while keeping it sweet or you can add variety with savoury porridge recipe – cook it with your favourite vegetables, herbs or spices; add some protein; chicken, eggs, cheese etc. The sky is the limit really. I’ve tried to replicate jollof flavours which is loved by Africans in my savoury porridge with spinach for additional nutrients.
How To Make Savoury Oats Jollof with Spinach
Just as for regular porridge, you can use any type of oats for this savoury oats jollof recipe. You can use rolled, steel-cut or instant oats, the differences between the three are the texture of your final dish, and the cooking time. Whichever way you go, you still get a filling meal with good quality nutrients and fibre.
This recipe is just a guide – get creative and cook your oats with your favourite ingredients. If you have some stock left-over, you can use it instead of water. I like to top my savoury porridge with vegetables and eggs.
Savoury Oats Jollof
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- ½ cup Chopped onions
- 1 teaspoon Mild curry powder
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Ground pepper/Pepper flakes
- ½ can Chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup Rolled Oats
- Salt to taste
- Spinach a handful
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan.
- Cook the onions in the oil until translucent, then pour in the mild curry powder, turmeric, thyme and pepper flakes.
- Stir continuously for about 30 secs, then add the chopped tomatoes.
- Continue to stir for around three minutes, then add enough water to cook the oats (based on cooking instructions on the rolled oats packaging). Cover the pan and allow the liquid to boil over for 2 mins.
- Pour in the oats, add some salt to taste and allow to cook for between 5-10 mins until the oats cook through.
- Stir in the spinach and remove from heat.
Nutrition
Other delicious breakfast recipes to try are;
Very nice. I just thought of oats jellof, if it is possible,you showed it is. Thanks. I am going to try it for a diabetic patient.
Hello Ngozi. I'm glad you found this Jollof Oats recipe then. I hope your patient likes it.
I found this blog via searching for information about Ghanaian cuisine, and was very impressed with how clear and approachable you've made pan-African recipes. Idly skimming the recipes, this caught my attention- Savory Oatmeal?!? No way! Like described, I also feel like oatmeal is a functional breakfast. I also prefer savory breakfasts, but feel like Western savory breakfasts are far too heavy on protein. I even complained about this a few days ago! Immediately, I had to make this! Everything is already in my kitchen! Destiny!
I whipped this together in a snap, and topped it with a fried egg. My mind is utterly blown. No need to spend frivolously on the latest trendy grain- and certainly no reason to hold back oatmeal in it's breakfast prison. The texture is more akin to a rice dish than the lump of carbs you get from plain oatmeal, and it packs a punch worthy of any curry. What an amazing take on a familiar food!!
Extra details: I used 1 3/4 C. water to 1 C. Old fashioned rolled oats, 1 tsp of salt, and used American measurements, but the difference can't be that big of a deal 😛 I used half of a 14.5 oz. can of chopped tomatoes. I cooked it on medium the whole time.
Thank you so, much for taking the time to give a feedback and also sharing the details of how you made yours. I'm so glad that you came across my post; and that you agree with me that oats do not need to be boring! Much love!