Kickstart your day with this 7 minute High-Protein Savory Oatmeal with Cottage Cheese! This is the breakfast taking the internet by storm! A warm, satisfying bowl packed with crispy oats, cottage cheese, and leafy greens. Loaded with protein, healthy fats, and fiber, our savory oats recipe is the perfect post-workout refuel or a filling and healthy breakfast that keeps you energized for hours.
I’ve always been about getting good protein for breakfast especially now that I’ve hit my 40s (gasp!). I love a good breakfast smoothie or a bowl of oatmeal with protein powder added to start my day. Having a savory option now with this high protein oatmeal is totally changing my mornings!
If you’ve never tried savory oats before, then you are missing out! Oats are just like any other grain…farro, barley, brown rice…and they are so healthy! Jump on the viral savory oatmeal train with us! You’ll LOVE it!
Ingredients for High Protein Savory Oatmeal
If you haven’t ever tried a savory high protein oat recipe, then let this be your first! Here is everything you will need for this tasty oatmeal recipe:
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor and helps toast the oats.
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: Do not use quick oats for this recipe! They will get mushy and almost pasty. Stick with the rolled oats!
- Kosher Salt: Adds flavor.
- Water: Helps cook the oats.
- Baby Kale: If you aren’t a kale fan, go with baby spinach instead.
- Olive Oil: Helps sauté the kale.
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese: Adds creaminess and great protein.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes also work great.
- Flaked Sea Salt: Adds flavor and a little texture.
- Aleppo Pepper: Adds flavor and tiny bit of heat.
- Lemon Juice: This is totally optional but I love the bright freshness it adds.
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
How to Make High Protein Savory Oatmeal
The key to making this breakfast grain bowl totally spectacular is to toast the oats before cooking them. It adds a depth of flavor you don’t want to miss! So let’s start there and then rest is just making oatmeal and adding a few healthy toppings! Here are the steps:
- Toast the Oats: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oats and let them toast for a few minutes. Stir often. Add a dash of salt and continue stirring.
- Cook the Oats: Remove the pan from the heat then pour in the water. Put a lid on the saucepan and let it sit for 7 minutes.
- NOTE: To speed things up, leave the saucepan on the heat and turn it down to medium low. Let the oats simmer for 3 minutes.
- Chop the Kale: While the oats are cooking, roughly chop the kale.
- Sauté the Kale: Drizzle some olive oil in a small skillet and sauté the kale with a pinch of salt.
- PRO TIP: I am a total texture girl so at this point, I remove the kale to a plate, add a little more oil to the pan and give the cooked oats a quick sauté. This is totally optional and not necessary, but I love it!
- Assemble the Oatmeal: Place a large scoop of oats into a bowl followed by a scoop of cottage cheese. Sprinkle some tomatoes, the kale, a drizzle of olive oil and a little flaked sea salt and aleppo pepper.
- OPTIONAL: Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for an extra pop of acidity and flavor.
Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for all the instructions in full detail.
Carrian’s Notes
In a hurry? Merely boil the oats for 3 minutes!
How Much Protein Per Serving?
You’re going to love this! There are 22 grams of protein per serving in this breakfast recipe! Such a strong way to jump into your day!
Can I Use Steel-Cut Oats?
This is a great question and I’ve actually never tried it. I would assume, yes, but the water and cooking time would change so I can’t give you exact directions for doing it. It’s important for all the water to be evaporated before you crisp up the rice the second time and I’m not sure how that would work with steel cut oats. So long story short…I don’t know!
Carrian’s Notes
If you have time I looove to throw the oats in a hot pan with a little olive oil to sauté it. They get kinda crispy and it’s the best texture!
Variations and Substitutions
Like most breakfast bowls, this savory oatmeal bowl is easily customizable! We love to start with this base recipe as written and then add other toppings like…
- Poached Egg or Fried Egg
- Sauteed Vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, peppers or spinach,
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Pepitas or Sunflower Seeds
- Bacon Bits
- Sliced Avocado
If you aren’t a cottage cheese lover, you can swap the cottage cheese for plain Greek yogurt! Another option…if the problem with the cottage cheese is the texture, just pulse it in a blender a few times!
Breakfast for Dinner!
One of our family’s favorite things is having breakfast for dinner! We love to make our buttermilk pancakes or french toast for dinner occasionally! Those are pretty dang carb-heavy, so making this savory oatmeal bowl is the perfect way to get another good serving of protein for dinner (or lunch is a perfect time too!)!
If I’m making it for dinner, I might add a little garlic and/or onions in when I sauté the kale, and I sometimes use chicken broth instead of water to cook the oats. They both add another dimension of flavor to the oats! Highly recommend it!!
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers that have already been assembled in a bowl should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3-4 days. I wouldn’t recommend reheating these leftovers because warm cottage cheese…eww!
For best results, store the cooked oatmeal and all other components of the dish separately and then warm up the oats either on the stovetop (get them all toasty again!) or in the microwave and then assemble the bowls before serving.
Switch up your breakfast routine with this delicious high-protein savory oatmeal recipe. Made with cottage cheese, it’s a nutrient-dense and satisfying way to start your day. The buttery, crispy oats are my absolutely favorite thing!
More High-Protein Breakfast Recipes:
Watch the Video How to Make High Protein Savory Oatmeal
Description
Kickstart your day with this High-Protein Savory Oatmeal with Cottage Cheese—a warm, satisfying bowl packed with creamy oats, rich cottage cheese, and leafy greens.
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Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the oats and toast for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. It will begin to smell nutty and buttery. Add a dash of salt and stir.
2 Tablespoons Butter, 2 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
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Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the water, it will spit and sputter. Add the lid and allow to sit for 7 minutes. For a quicker version, simmer for 3 minutes.
1 1/4 Cups Water
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Meanwhile, roughly chop the kale.
1 Cup Baby Kale
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Drizzle olive oil in a small pan and heat over medium high heat. Quickly sauté and add a pinch of kosher salt. Remove from heat.
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
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OPTIONAL- I love texture, so I remove the kale to a plate and add a little more oil to the pan and give my oats a quick sauté after they are cooked. This is optional.
To Assemble
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Place the oats in a bowl and top with a scoop of cottage cheese, tomatoes and kale and a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of flaked sea salt and aleppo pepper. A squeeze of lemon juice is nice too!
1 ½ Cups Low Fat Cottage Cheese, 1 Cup Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Flaked Sea Salt, Aleppo Pepper, Lemon Juice
Calories: 406kcal
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