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Breakfast for dinner · 20 minutes

Savory Parmesan Oat “Risotto” with Crispy Egg

Rolled oats get the risotto treatment, toasted in butter and simmered in broth with lots of parmesan, so they turn creamy in 10 minutes instead of 30.

Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Serves
2
Jump to recipe
VegetarianStovetop

Oats behave a lot like arborio rice: they release starch as they simmer and turn creamy without any cream. Toast them in butter with a shallot first and cook them in seasoned broth, and they stop tasting like breakfast and start tasting like a bowl of risotto that took a third of the time and no stirring marathon.

The crispy egg is the payoff. Fried in hot olive oil until the edges go brown and lacy, it brings crunch and a runny yolk that becomes extra sauce. Peas and lemon zest keep it from getting heavy.

The recipe

Savory Parmesan Oat “Risotto” with Crispy Egg

Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min · Total 20 min · Serves 2

Ingredients

Tap to tick off as you go.

For the oat risotto

For the crispy eggs

Method

  1. Step 1: Toast the oats

    Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallot for 2 minutes until soft, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the oats. Toast, stirring, for 2 minutes, until they smell nutty.

  2. Step 2: Simmer in broth

    Pour in about two-thirds of the hot broth and simmer, stirring every minute or so, for 6–8 minutes. Add the rest of the broth as it thickens, until the oats are tender with a little chew and the mixture is loose and creamy.

  3. Step 3: Finish the risotto

    Stir in the peas for the last 2 minutes. Off the heat, beat in the parmesan, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice. Season with pepper and salt only after tasting, since broth and cheese are salty. It should flow slightly on a spoon; add a splash of hot water if it’s stiff.

  4. Step 4: Fry crispy eggs

    Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Crack in the eggs; they should sizzle and bubble at the edges right away. Fry for 2–3 minutes, spooning hot oil over the whites, until the edges are brown and lacy and the yolks are still runny.

  5. Step 5: Serve

    Spoon the risotto into shallow bowls, top each with an egg, and finish with extra parmesan, flaky salt, chili flakes and a drizzle of the egg-frying oil.

Good to know

  • Oats keep thickening as they sit, so take them off the heat when they look a little looser than you want.
  • For truly crispy eggs, the oil has to be hot before the egg goes in. If it doesn’t sizzle loudly, wait.
  • A good broth matters more here than in rice risotto because oats taste mild. If yours is weak, simmer it with a parmesan-style rind (vegetarian rennet) while you prep.

Swaps

Regular rolled oats
Certified gluten-free rolled oats and a gluten-free broth to make it gluten-free
Peas
Sautéed mushrooms, baby spinach wilted in at the end, or roasted cherry tomatoes
Parmesan
Pecorino-style or aged cheddar labeled vegetarian rennet, or 3 tbsp nutritional yeast for a dairy-free version with olive oil instead of butter

Questions people ask

Can you make risotto with oats?

Yes. Rolled oats release starch like arborio rice and turn creamy in about 8–10 minutes of simmering in broth, so the method is the same but much faster.

Is parmesan vegetarian?

True Parmigiano-Reggiano is always made with animal rennet, so it isn’t. Look for parmesan-style cheeses that say vegetarian or microbial rennet on the label.

Are savory oats healthy?

They’re a solid dinner: oats bring fiber and some protein, and the egg, cheese and peas round it out to a filling bowl. Use a low-sodium broth if you’re watching salt.

Get the shallot, garlic and peas from a farmer.

This recipe is only as good as what goes in it. Find a farmers market or CSA farm near you, or get a produce box delivered when there’s no market this week.

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