Grits are a southern staple. Though they are primarily a breakfast dish, they can be served as a side any time of the day. A few lunch and dinner dishes even use them, such as Shrimp and Grits. Today, I am going to teach you how to make cheese grits.
Before we get into the cheese grits recipe, we have to talk about the types of grits. You have regular grits, stone-ground grits, quick grits, instant grits, and hominy grits. Southern Living has a nice write-up on the different types of grits. This recipe will utilize quick or regular grits. You could technically use any type, it will just mess with the cooking times.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of grits
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of cream cheese
- 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
How To Cook Cheese Grits
Start by adding your water and milk to a saucepan and place on high heat. Go ahead and add your butter, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. When the water starts boiling, add your grits. Once the grits are in, lower the heat to medium-low.
Stir the grits continuously so they don’t stick to the pan. Grits usually take about 5 minutes to cook, but that will depend on the type of grits you are using. Once you’ve got the grits incorporated into the water, you can add the cheddar cheese.
The grits are done once they are fluffy and some of the “grittiness” is gone. Ironically enough, the texture shouldn’t be gritty at all! And that is my super simple cheese grits recipe.
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Serving Southern Style Cheese Grits
Now let’s talk about serving the grits. If you are eating them by themselves, I like to top them with a bit more shredded cheddar, bacon bits, and chives. If you are eating them as a side to your breakfast, they go great with a nice over-easy egg. Crack the yolk and let it flow over your grits for a delicious, rich meal.
As I stated earlier, grits are a component of some amazing dinner dishes as well. For Shrimp and Grits, simply place the grits in a bowl and then spoon over your shrimp and the accompanying butter sauce. Garnish with some green onion and you have an amazing seafood dish.
Fish and Grits is another delectable option. Blackened catfish go amazingly well with grits, but most types of whitefish will do. Swai is a nice cheap alternative.
That’s it, now you know how to make cheese grits! They are super simple and quite filling. Their versatility opens up your culinary options to some fantastic new dishes!
