Recipe: Banana Bread Breakfast Bulgur

With quinoa being the hot grain at present, I’ve been moving back towards an old favorite: bulgur wheat. After the Kofta & Bulgur Bowls I had earlier in the week, I’ve been itching to try bulgur for breakfast. It’s nuttiness and slightly chewy texture is so appealing, and since it’s less bitter than quinoa, I knew it would fit right in to my breakfast routine.

The recipe couldn’t be easier:

In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of bulgur, 2 cups 2% milk (use light coconut milk to make it dairy free), 1 packed tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes.

At this point, there will still be a bit of liquid left. Give it a stir. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 more minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.

Divide into bowls and serve, topping with sliced banana and walnuts.

If you like your breakfast porridge thinner, add a cup of water right in the beginning, or add some extra milk when serving. I like mine thick, so I left it as is!

It has all of the flavors of banana bread wrapped up in a warm and hearty bowl of yum! It also keeps you full: I had my bowl around 7:20 in the morning and wasn’t ready for more food until about 11:30! Chalk that up to the nutritionals: this bowl of hugs has 393 calories, 13g of healthy fat (walnuts are a great vegetarian source of omega-3s), 13g protein and 8 grams of fiber. That’s 30% of a woman’s recommended daily intake of fiber!

Banana Bread Breakfast Bulgur

• Servings: 4
• Time: 25mins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A hearty, warm breakfast bowl with all the flavors of banana bread.

If you prefer your breakfast to be more like a porridge, add a cup of water at the beginning of cooking. Make it vegan by substituting light coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 1 cup red bulgur wheat
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 oz. walnuts, chopped
• 2 medium bananas, sliced

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, bring milk, bulgur, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt to a boil.
2. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to very low and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes.
3. When the 12 minutes is up, turn off the heat, stir, and allow to sit covered for 10 minutes.
4. Divide into bowls and top with chopped walnuts and sliced banana.