So I was skeptical when xraybarb (= , did this recipe for my Hidden treasures blog. I'll be the 1st one to tell you, the thought of stewed tomatoes and oatmeal was sort of a put off. And that's the issue at hand. The sound of it. But she called me out and made a great point, about that. So I looked at the recipe again. And decided...since she threw down the "mental thinking" thing. That was it. I was totally sure I had all the ingredients and I did. I didn't put a fine chop on the onions(wished I did), crushed fresh garlic, and did the low cal butter, and the stewed tomatoes I had on hand was italian style(wished it was smaller chunks) and my oats were extra thick rolled oats(don't know if there is a difference) And above all. Good recipe. Seriously good, it's a total 4 in my book, I have to say I think I burnt some of the oats because that was new to me(toasting over the stove). My oldest said it was really really good. I can see me making again. Possibly adding a few veggies or adding the oats in place of barley in other recipes by using the technique in this recipe. Surprisingly, I no longer thing of oatmeal as a sweet dish in a bowl. This opened my eyes. Thanks barb (=

This was good. Probably better than I expected (= I tweaked it just a bit. Rather than dirty two pans, I toasted the oatmeal in the skillet first, then set it aside in a bowl until the end. (I used quick cooking oatmeal, because that was what I had on hand.) Then I used olive oil rather than butter, sauteing the onion first, then adding the garlic when the onion was nearly through (so as to not burn the garlic.) I also added a heaping tbsp of beef bouillon to the soup. I wasn't sure I'd like the"chunks" of tomato in the soup, but I did - though they were rather large coming out of the can, so I broke them up some with my spatula.

I was looking for an alternative way of eating oatmeal (I don't like pure oatmeal and water goo), and I made this (adding a few spices) and it turned out great! I added a poached egg on top of my personal bowl for extra protein and do not regret it. Yay, I can eat oatmeal!

I made this as directed and was bland. I ended up having to add in diced tomatoes with green pepper and basil. I topped with parm cheese that did improve the taste, but still wasn't a favorite.

I am only giving this recipe 3 stars because even though I made a lot of changes to enhance the flavor, the soup was still a little bit bland. I added an extra clove of garlic, and I sauteed the onion and garlic in only 1 Tbsp. butter. I also used diced tomatoes, since that is what I had on hand. I added the 4 cups water, but then I tossed in 2 vegetable bouillon cubes to add flavor. I left out the salt because the bouillon cubes. I also added about 1 tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. dried oregano, and 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley. At the very end of the cook time I added about 1 cup chopped fresh spinach. I will be making this recipe again because it is a quick and easy soup that can be made with ingredients I almost always have on hand.

very good soup! i added a chicken boullion cube.. also made it with condensed tomato soup and garlic powder.. both times it was very good! i recommend trying this recipe, as weird as it sounds. Do not serve inmediatly. if you want it for lunch make in the morning or night before. trust me!

i used a can of stewed tomatos (which has some good tomato broth packed with it) and it was REALLY good. I only used about 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt. only 4 stars though because i have tasted better soups for sure. but for the simplicity and way to make something out of a bare cupboard it was good.

This is a fantastic recipe! Really quick, filling, and delicious. I had to use diced tomatoes as that's all I had on hand. I replaced the water with milk to make this a creamier soup and added a few shakes of oregano to give it some more flavor. The result was absolutely delicious! I will definitely make this again. Thank you!

Very good soup! I had to substitute petite diced tomatoes for the stewed tomates, because that's what I had on hand. I will definitely make this again, but next time I think I will use vegetable stock instead of water to boost the flavor a bit, lessening the need for too much salt. Thanks for a quick, inexpensive, HEALTHY recipe! UPDATE - I had leftovers of the soup for lunch today and, although the oatmeal soaked up quite a bit of the liquid, it's not soggy. I'm VERY pleased with this soup!

Very good! Next time I will add veggies and beef. I bet that will be good too.