Southern Garlic Cheese Grits Bowls start with a foundation of creamy, garlicky grits and are layered with cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, sautéed vegetables, and freshly cooked eggs to round out this satisfying meal. Grits aren’t just for breakfast and arguably taste even better at dinner time. A Southern staple, you cannot go wrong with serving up hot grits and enjoying breakfast for dinner!
This recipe is Week 2 of our new “What’s For Dinner?” meal series, consisting of 10 weeks of delicious and fun meals for busy weeknights. Check back each week for inspiration to help you decide what’s for dinner!
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Make it a Meal!
Breakfast for dinner can be one of those meals that your family cherishes forever. Next time you serve up these tasty bowls, pair them with the below options for guaranteed satisfaction.
Drinks
- Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino – It may be dinner time but coffee is the perfect pair for typical breakfast food
- Cinnamon Apple Cider Mocktails – Hold the alcohol and enjoy a lighter, tasty apple-juice like drink
Sides
- Homemade Cornbread Without Cornmeal – Cornbread at breakfast for dinner sounds like a plan to me!
- Crispy Skillet Potatoes – These potatoes were made to be served with a runny egg over cheesy grits
Dessert
- Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake – Dessert after a breakfast-themed meal calls for coffee cake!
- Thin Mint Truffles – It’s never a bad time for a quick bite of these
How to: Make Southern Garlic Cheese Grits Bowls
You’ll be whipping up a southern specialty with these garlic cheese grits bowls!
Please note it is very important that you use old-fashioned grits. Do NOT use instant grits. If using instant, you will need to follow the package instructions and saute the garlic with the other veggies. It IS possible!
Using a large cooking pot over medium heat, saute the garlic in a little olive oil until it is soft and fragrant. After about 3 minutes, increase the heat slightly and pour the water and milk into the pot to boil.
Once boiling, stir in the grits and reduce down to a simmer. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until the grits are nice and thick, about 20 minutes. Stir about halfway through.
When done cooking, add shredded cheese and stir until it is melted.
While the grits are cooking we will prepare the toppings. In a small pan over medium heat, saute the bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms (and additional garlic if you like) in olive oil. Add some salt and pepper and remove from the pan.
Bring the heat to low and melt the butter. Add the eggs and cook to your liking.
Add a big scoop of garlic cheese grits into each bowl. Top with sauteed veggies, eggs, cooked bacon, and garnish with green onions.
Ingredients Needed
Materials Needed
Southern Garlic Cheese Grits Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 cup old fashioned grits
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ bell pepper diced
- ¼ onion diced
- 6 oz mushrooms sliced thin
- 1-2 tsp each salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cooked bacon chopped
- green onions to garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute garlic and 1 tbsp olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Pour the water and milk into the pot and bring to a boil. Stir in grits and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for up to 20 minutes or until thick.
- While the grits are cooking, in a small pan over medium heat, sauté bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms in remaining olive oil until soft. Add a dash of salt and pepper and remove from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low and melt the butter. Add the eggs and cook to your liking. Set aside.
- When the grits are done cooking add cheddar cheese and stir well until melted. Spoon grits into each bowl. Add bacon, sautéed veggies, and eggs and garnish with green onions.
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Have you ever had grits before? I want to hear your take on them! I can’t believe I missed out them the first 25 years of my life – they are soooo delicious.
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You had me at garlic and cheese, looks so good!
Hi Kalin! I am a New Yorker who spent every summer for the 1st 17 years of my life in Virginia and I love grits. I can also eat breakfast food at any time of the day, as I’m really not a breakfast eater anyway. Recipe looks very appetizing. Thanks for sharing!
This looks so good! I Have never had grits before but now I want to.
Breakfast for dinner is one of our favorites! We can only buy instant grits here in the northwest US and I have only had them twice! My husband’s aunt visited and made shrimp and grits and it was so good, even with instant. We will have to try this too. 🙂
That looks really good. Would love to taste it
Delicious! And that egg looks amazing.
Oh, this really does sound delicious and like something I would devour (minus the bacon). Thanks for sharing this recipe!
These garlic cheese grits are so delicious! I love how easy they are and soooo creamy!
Can you believe that with living in both Houston and Nashville I’ve never tried grits?!? This looks like an awesome breakfast!!
This garlic and cheese grits bowl is so delicious! We made it for breakfast today and everybody loved it. It’s the first time we have had grits – we live in the northeast where they are not that common.
Love grits and it is a Sunday affair in our house. Love your recipe and it will be enjoyed tomorrow, Sunday brunch.
Thank you for sharing.
These cheese grits look so yum! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m up for anything with garlic in it! I’m just getting into eating grits, and I love this recipe for them.
I heard of grits in a book I read but this is the first time I have seen them. Lovely meal.
big fan of mushrooms here, I like how this can be stuff with veggies like bell peppers and mushrooms.
I love garlic cheese grits. This would be great for dinner one night instead of breakfast time. I love to eat breakfast for dinner.
Great recipe! I could eat these every day. I paired mine with steak and broccoli. SO GOOD!
I’ve actually never tried grits but this dish looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve actually never had grits before but this recipe looks delicious!!
Oh wow, this looks amazing! I definitely need to give it a try. Thanks for sharing xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
This sounds absolutly delicious will give it a go over the next few days
I’ve never made grits before but this recipe made it so easy to follow! Thanks for the tasty recipe.
I’m not a huge fan of grits, but this looks tasty
This looks delicious (I love anything with garlic!) but I’ll admit, I had to google what grits were haha!
I LOVE grits! It’s a forgotten dish but so healthy. I will give your recipe a try. Lovely dinner idea!
This looks simply delish, I love the explosion of colours. Never tried grits before but always wanted to!
these looks so tasty – pinned for later
I had to look up grits (living in Italy LOL). We have cornmeal here so all good. A delicious recipe!
This looks amazing omg! I’ll be trying this x Penny /whatdidshetype.com
Could you please tell me what a ‘grit’ is? I’ve never heard of it, what is it made from? X
That looks so good!
we love this homey dish
I have never had grits before unless you count that time when I was a kid when I used dry grits as sand for my plastic horses, but these look good. It’s something I have wanted to try at some point, and cheesy grits sound like the perfect way to do so. I’ll have to see if I can get my hands on some grits so I can try this.
I was running out of ideas for breakfast and dinner. Thank you! Sound and looks delicious
Adding cheese and garlic to the grits was so lovely. It gave so much extra flavour and taste. Love the recipe.
adding an egg on it seems to be the answer always!
adding an egg on it seems to be the answer always!