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St Paddy's Day is almost here and we know it’s all about the unhealthy indulgences – plenty of beer, corned beef, and maybe a green milkshake or other sweet treat. Since the holiday also happens to fall on a Saturday this year, you might even be thinking of cooking up a “Full Irish” breakfast to mark the occasion.
Irish breakfast is not for the light of appetite; it can include a few fried or scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and several types of sausage. And to complete the meal, toast and Irish soda bread. To wash it all down, orange juice and coffee or hot tea.
While this meal traditionally originated to help nourish farm workers for a day of grueling work in the field, nowadays it is reserved for weekends or special occasions, and is a featured meal at the many bed and breakfasts hotels you find throughout Ireland. The Irish breakfast is the perfect hearty meal to start the holiday off right, whether you need fuel for a day full of heavy spring yard work or need some extra calories to soak up some green beer while watching or participating in a parade. Despite its high cholesterol and calorie content, it’s a good combination of proteins, healthy whole grain carbohydrates in the form of brown bread, and even a few veggies.
To balance out all the St. Patrick’s Day excess, you can try another Irish breakfast staple, steel cut oatmeal. Instead of the rolled quick oats to which most Americans are accustomed, Irish style oats are made from the whole grain groat, or inner portion of the oat kernel. The golden brown oat groats which have been thinly sliced by a steel blade, and have a nutty and more complex flavor than the instant, quick cooking oatmeal many of us grew up eating.
They contain a good dose of healthy whole grains and offer a concentrated source of fiber, and nutrients such as magnesium and selenium. Oats are a key addition to a healthy and disease preventative diet. The special type of dietary fiber, beta glucan, found in oats has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, making it a super healthy food.
Plus, since most parts of the country are still in the “lion” part of March, a hearty and warm breakfast makes a welcome start to a colder weather day. You will just have to plan a little ahead because Irish oatmeal can take up to thirty minutes of cooking time to create just the right texture.
There are a couple different ways to have your Irish oatmeal ready for you first thing in the morning. One way is to precook or soak the oats the night before. You can even make several batches and freeze portions in plastic bags or containers for later in the month. Then simply re-warm the oatmeal in the morning with a bit of milk. Or you can use a slow cooker or rice cooker, and measure everything out the night before. Simply program your cooker to cook the oats on low heat overnight and wake up to a healthy indulgence.
To complete your hearty yet healthy Irish breakfast, you can include your favorite toppings such as dried cherries, bananas, toasted almonds, cinnamon, and plain yogurt. It’s a feast in a bowl.
So this year, you can start a new St. Paddy's Day tradition along with the wearing of the green and drinking of the beer, we’ll call it the eating of the oats. Happy St Patrick’s Day!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1243-st-patricks-breakfast/
A Hearty Breakfast to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
St Paddy's Day is almost here and we know it’s all about the unhealthy indulgences – plenty of beer, corned beef, and maybe a green milkshake or other sweet treat. Since the holiday also happens to fall on a Saturday this year, you might even be thinking of cooking up a “Full Irish” breakfast to mark the occasion.
Irish breakfast is not for the light of appetite; it can include a few fried or scrambled eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, and several types of sausage. And to complete the meal, toast and Irish soda bread. To wash it all down, orange juice and coffee or hot tea.
While this meal traditionally originated to help nourish farm workers for a day of grueling work in the field, nowadays it is reserved for weekends or special occasions, and is a featured meal at the many bed and breakfasts hotels you find throughout Ireland. The Irish breakfast is the perfect hearty meal to start the holiday off right, whether you need fuel for a day full of heavy spring yard work or need some extra calories to soak up some green beer while watching or participating in a parade. Despite its high cholesterol and calorie content, it’s a good combination of proteins, healthy whole grain carbohydrates in the form of brown bread, and even a few veggies.
To balance out all the St. Patrick’s Day excess, you can try another Irish breakfast staple, steel cut oatmeal. Instead of the rolled quick oats to which most Americans are accustomed, Irish style oats are made from the whole grain groat, or inner portion of the oat kernel. The golden brown oat groats which have been thinly sliced by a steel blade, and have a nutty and more complex flavor than the instant, quick cooking oatmeal many of us grew up eating.
They contain a good dose of healthy whole grains and offer a concentrated source of fiber, and nutrients such as magnesium and selenium. Oats are a key addition to a healthy and disease preventative diet. The special type of dietary fiber, beta glucan, found in oats has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, making it a super healthy food.
Plus, since most parts of the country are still in the “lion” part of March, a hearty and warm breakfast makes a welcome start to a colder weather day. You will just have to plan a little ahead because Irish oatmeal can take up to thirty minutes of cooking time to create just the right texture.
There are a couple different ways to have your Irish oatmeal ready for you first thing in the morning. One way is to precook or soak the oats the night before. You can even make several batches and freeze portions in plastic bags or containers for later in the month. Then simply re-warm the oatmeal in the morning with a bit of milk. Or you can use a slow cooker or rice cooker, and measure everything out the night before. Simply program your cooker to cook the oats on low heat overnight and wake up to a healthy indulgence.
To complete your hearty yet healthy Irish breakfast, you can include your favorite toppings such as dried cherries, bananas, toasted almonds, cinnamon, and plain yogurt. It’s a feast in a bowl.
So this year, you can start a new St. Paddy's Day tradition along with the wearing of the green and drinking of the beer, we’ll call it the eating of the oats. Happy St Patrick’s Day!
Overnight Irish Oatmeal
Made with honey, steel cut Irish oats, water, salt, milk, dried cherries, bananas, almonds, brown sugar
Made with honey, steel cut Irish oats, water, salt, milk, dried cherries, bananas, almonds, brown sugar
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 cup steel cut Irish oats
- 4 cups water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup milk (optional)
***Optional Toppings***
- dried cherries
- sliced bananas
- toasted almonds
- brown sugar
- honey
- cinnamon
- yogurt
Bring water to boil in a medium sized pot. Stir in oats and salt and simmer for one minute. Cover, let cool, and store in refrigerator overnight or up to ten hours.
In the morning, bring oats to a simmer, stirring in milk, if desired.
Serve warm with your choice of toppings.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1243-st-patricks-breakfast/