Cardamom Butternut Squash Oatmeal

Since I had some butternut squash left from making my Savory Citrus Arugula Steel-Cut Oatmeal (I stored the extra squash in the freezer–hooray for saving food!), this seemed like a great combo to try. Most people pair butternut squash with spices like nutmeg and cloves and ginger, a la pumpkin pie, but I went right for the cardamom. 🙂

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup milk of choice (or water)*
• 2-3 chopped and pitted dates, or 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup quick cook steel cut oats*
• 1/3 cup mashed butternut squash (I steamed mine)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

How to make it:

1. In a saucepan, bring milk/water and dates to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to simmer. (If you’d like to add a teaspoon of flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, stir mashed squash into the oatmeal.
3. Add vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. Stir. If using maple syrup and/or lemon zest, add now.
4. When you’re pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Top with any desired additional toppings (shredded coconut, fresh fruit, nuts, etc.).

Just an FYI:

For my butternut squash, I took a semi-lazy route and bought the pre-cubed butternut squash at Trader Joe’s. I hate breaking down the massive squashes, so this shortcut helps a lot.

To cook mine, I steamed them using a steamer basket in a saucepan. Tragically, I didn’t keep a good enough eye on it, and all the water steamed away and the bottom of my saucepan scorched and made my entire apartment smoky and smelling of char. So that was fun. But the squash became delightfully tender and retained its bright orange flavor. I definitely preferred this method over boiling or roasting.

As far as toppings go, this porridge is beautifully complemented by some cinnamon raisin peanut butter. 🙂