Apple Parsnip Oatmeal with Cranberry Sauce

Who needs help using up their Thanksgiving leftovers? I’m certainly grateful to have ample food in my possession, but I also feel pressure to adequately use my food and not cause any food waste. Thankfully, oatmeal makes an excellent base for, well, just about anything.

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk of choice, or water*
• 1 small parsnip, peeled
• 1/2 an apple (peeling optional)
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or apple pie spice)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp cranberry sauce for topping

How to make it:

1. Add liquid to a pot over medium high heat. Grate parsnip into the pot. For the apple, either dice or grate into the pot. (Dicing adds texture variation, but grating makes it creamier.)
2. When liquid starts to boil, add oats, and reduce heat to simmer. Stir occasionally.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
4. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Add a splash of your milk of choice, and top with cranberry sauce and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).

Just an FYI:

The internet has tons of ideas for turning your dishes into soups, omelets, and casseroles, but I enjoy reheating my leftovers and have no trouble using those. For me, the problem has always been finding ways to use up all those extra ingredients I have after making the recipes. My fridge is packed with celery, root vegetables, herbs, and mushrooms. I have to find ways to use them (while also eating all the leftover dishes). It’s so overwhelming!

Psst … here’s a roundup of 10 oatmeal recipes to help you use Thanksgiving leftovers.

To make it more overwhelming, my partner and I signed up for a winter CSA, so our kitchen has been WELL stocked with carrots, parsnips, onion, and garlic for the past month. I was hoping Thanksgiving would help us use up some of them, but nope. We’ve got roots for days–weeks, actually. I’ve made so many root vegetable soups, you guys. My body is packed with vitamin A right now. 😛 My skin may start to turn orange.

I’ve forbidden myself from getting groceries for a while until our fridge is a bit more bare. That meant I would need to get inspiration for this week’s oatmeal recipe from what was already in my fridge.

I have plenty of carrot recipes on the blog already, so I decided to focus my efforts on parsnips this week. My only parsnip recipe was a guest post by Kelsey (check out her Spiced Parsnip Oatmeal), so I actually have never had parsnip in oatmeal before…until now!