Baked Cheese & Garlic Grits

Submitted by P48422

"Being from the south, I'm very fond of grits. I really love this side dish where it is baked with cheese and garlic. This is excellent served at a brunch or with fried fish or baked ham."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup quick-cooking grits (not instant!)
• 1 1⁄2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 large eggs, beaten

directions

1. Bring the water and salt to a boil.
2. Stir in the grits.
3. Cook until the grits are done.
4. Remove from the heat and add the next 4 ingredients; stir until the cheese and butter has melted.
5. Add a very small amount of grits to the eggs and stir well.
6. Add a little more and stir well again.
7. The pour this mixture back into the grits and mix well.
8. Pour the mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish.
9. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour.
10. NOTE: You can add chopped green or red bell pepper, green chile, or jalapeños to the mixture for a kick.

Reviews

[Jangomango]

PetitFour: please forgive me. This is a secondhand review. I cannot eat grits to save my life. Well, maybe only to save my life. But DH, the Alabama lad, says that these grits are the best he's ever had. All I can say is that it looked nice and sort of fluffed up nicely and were easy to make. I don't think you can go wrong with undercooking or overcooking. I added the jalapenos which were, apparently, delicious.

 

[Roosie]

My original review is posted below, but I had to change the stars- sorry... I made it according to the recipe and decided that it definitely NEEDS the bacon. I used 2-3 strips, crumbled. Yummmmm...and this is a review coming from someone who actually *likes* grits!! My BF and I loved these- I hate to admit it, but between the two of us (it was mostly him, I swear!) we polished off the entire dish just last night. Stuff was hectic yesterday, so we didn't really eat it with a meal... just with a bagel & cream cheese once and again with crackers and brie. So tasty!! I basically followed the recipe- which was REALLY easy, but I used 2% milk rather than whole (it's what I had) and added about 4 slices of bacon. I think the bacon added a nice touch- we both hate spicey food, so at least for us it would be better than adding chili peppers. I also forgot to add the garlic until it was time to put it in the oven, so I just mixed in a little slow-roasted garlic that I had on hand. So great!!! An hour was perfect for cooking time- it came out with a lovely crust and creamy on the inside and great cheese flavor. I'm actually considering making this again right now... MMM!

 

[Daphne2002]

First off, I would like to say that I am southern and have *never* enjoyed grits. For some reason I decided I was interested in trying them again. The grits I am used to are simply cooked with water and then butter, salt, or sugar is added. I wanted a more flavorful version, and this was a great choice. Garlic and cheese - my favorites! Now I can truthfully say that I really enjoy grits (as long as I make them myself!!)

 

[Sierra Silver]

Excellent! Great taste, with a wonderful balance between the garlic and the cheese. My only thought was that it needed salt and pepper in it, and I topped it with paprika.

 

[Little Bee]

Oh my this was good! I LOVE grits but DH would never even try them until this! He loved this casserole! Thanks for sharing!