Once upon a time, I hated asparagus. My mom would make cream of asparagus (from the can) and my dad would eat it on toast. It made the house smell like vomit, and I simply couldn’t understand why anyone would eat it. They look like green beans, and I hated those, too, so asparagus really didn’t stand a chance.
That eventually changed, and now I consider it one of my favorite vegetables. Recently, I was at a risotto shop in Greenwich Village with some friends. I ordered the lemon and pine nut risotto and added asparagus, and each bite was diviiiiiiiiine. I immediately decided to make it in oatmeal form.
It was so hard not to eat all of this by the spoonful when I made it to photograph. SO GOOD. This recipe makes four servings, so you can make it for a family/roommates, or have leftovers to bring to lunch for a few days. It reheats beautifully, and it’s healthier than risotto (I think) because there’s no heavy cream and steel-cut oats are more nutritious than Arborio rice. WIN!
Are you a fan of the asparagus, or nah?
What you'll need:
- 5-10 stalks asparagus, trimmed, stems cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup milk of choice (unsweetened and unflavored)
- 3 cups vegetable stock, or water
- 1/4 cup diced onion or leek
- 1 cup steel cut oatmeal (I use Country Choice Organic)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
- juice of one lemon (~2 tbsp)
- zest of one lemon (save some for topping!)
- 1/4 tsp vegan parmesan (optional)
- salt and pepper
How to make it:
- Either roast (in the oven for ~15 minutes at 350 F) or sautee (in a large skillet in a thin layer of oil over medium high heat) the asparagus. I sauteed mine to save time.
- Meanwhile, add liquid to large saucepan and set over medium high heat.
- Add onion/leek. When liquid comes to a low boil, add oats and frozen peas and turn down so it's just simmering.
- Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add lemon juice, zest, parmesan, and salt and pepper.
- Once the oatmeal has reached a risotto-esque consistency (between 20-30 minutes), stir in asparagus pieces. This will keep the asparagus from becoming soggy mush from boiling in the oatmeal.
- Finally, remove from heat. Serve with more lemon zest, pepper, and/or vegan parmesan.
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