Having a cheese grits recipe in your repertoire is almost mandatory if you live in grits country. There’s something about the combination of grits with cheese that elevates the sweet, simple grain. And while this cheesy grits recipe takes no shortcuts, it’s still finished in under 30 minutes. That’s not long at all, usually just time enough to cook a main dish to go with this classic side.
Ingredients for Cheese Grits
- Milk: Grits can be cooked in plain water, but if you add milk, they’ll taste richer.
- Chicken or vegetable broth: While milk adds richness to the grits’ cooking water, broth brings a savory flavor that plays well with the cheese. The combination of water, milk and broth is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Grits: Grits are cornmeal in its most digestible form, with its nutrients freed up by nixtamalization. But more important, they taste good.
- Cheese: The cheese (or blend of cheeses) you use in this recipe will be the star of the dish, with your grits playing a supporting role.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the grits
Combine the milk, broth and water in a large saucepan, and bring the pot to a boil. Add the salt, then the grits, and reduce the heat to low. Cook the grits, stirring frequently, until they’re creamy, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2: Add cheese to the grits
Add the shredded cheese, stirring until it melts and mingles with the grits. Season the grits with pepper or additional salt to suit your palate.
Cheese Grits Variations
- Add shrimp to your grits: Making this cheesy grits recipe puts you just a step or two away from shrimp and grits. Taking that next step is as simple as sauteing some shrimp, with or without the bacon, and spooning them onto your grits.
- Use polenta instead of grits: If you happen to move away from the Southeast, you may find that grits are difficult to locate in stores. Often those same stores will carry polenta, instead. Grits and polenta are similar, though not identical, and the nutrients in polenta aren’t as bioavailable as those in grits. That being said, they’re close enough that they can be cooked and used in the same ways (yes, it goes both ways, and you can use grits in place of polenta as well). The texture will just be slightly different, because polenta is typically a coarser grind.
- Be creative with the cheese: The cheddar and jack cheeses suggested in this recipe are widely popular and widely available, but they’re certainly not your only options. In fact, changing the cheese is arguably the easiest and highest-impact way to change the dish. A pungent goat cheese or blue cheese can pair nicely with other strong flavors, while super-melty brie delivers a mild but lusciously creamy plate of grits. You could even double down on the whole “Southern comfort food” thing by using pimiento cheese.
How to Store Cheese Grits
Cheese grits should be kept in the refrigerator, ideally in a food-safe storage container with a tight-fitting lid or divided between multiple single-portion containers. For refrigerating the leftovers overnight, you can simply cover the saucepan with its lid and refrigerate it that way. It’s not airtight, so the grits will often dry up if you keep them in the pan for more than a day.
How long do cheesy grits keep?
These cheese grits are good for two to three days in the refrigerator. They’ll set up to a very stiff consistency, so your best option for reheating and reusing them is often to slice the cold grits and then pan-fry the slices. By the time they’re heated through, they’ll have a beautiful golden crust on the outside. Alternatively you could heat them gently in the microwave or a saucepan, adding extra liquid by the spoonful, until they regain their original consistency.
Can I freeze this cheese grits recipe?
The grits will freeze perfectly well. Make sure they’re fully cooled, then press the leftover grits into freezer-safe storage containers with tight-fitting lids, or into heavy-duty freezer bags. For single portions, you can scoop or cut them from the cooled grits, freeze the portions on a sheet pan, then bag or vacuum-seal them once they’re frozen. The grits will keep their quality from one to three months, depending how well they’re wrapped.
Cheese Grits Tips
Why are my cheese grits lumpy?
There are a few ways this can happen. Usually the damage is done right at the beginning, when you stir the grits into the hot cooking liquid. If you add the grits too quickly or don’t whisk them adequately (those two things are related), lumps can quickly form as the grits hit the hot water. You may also have the heat too high. You’re looking for just a gentle simmer, so the grits can absorb water slowly. Finally, you need to stir the grits frequently to keep the grains from sticking as they cook.
What add-ins are good with cheese grits?
That’s a good question, and the answer is “grits go with almost everything,” especially when you add cheese. Bacon is a no-brainer, and so are cut-up sausages with bold flavors. You can also match your grits to the meal they’ll accompany. Add your choice of chilies for heat, pepper jack and a can of green chiles for a Southwest spin, garlic and rosemary for an Italian-themed meal and so on.
What can I serve with cheese grits?
As with add-ins, grits go with just about anything. You can serve them alongside almost any protein, from simple egg dishes (because eggs and grits is another classic pairing) to your choice of ribs, braised beef or pulled pork, fried fish, sauteed shrimp or anything else that takes your interest. You can also find your own fun matches by combining cheese grits with foods that would normally go with another form of corn, like melting your favorite nacho toppings over grits, or putting them in a bowl and loading them with taco toppings.
