Garlic Cheese Grits

Southern Garlic Cheese Grits Bowl

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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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Garlic Cheese Grits

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

Sides

Dessert

Garlic Cheese Grits

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.

Garlic Cheese Grits

Ingredients Needed

Garlic Cheese Grits

Materials Needed

Garlic Cheese Grits
Garlic Cheese Grits

Southern Garlic Cheese Grits Bowl

Southern Garlic Cheese Grits are a Southern staple- you cannot go wrong with serving up hot grits and enjoying breakfast for dinner!
5 from 27 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

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.
Keyword breakfast, dinner

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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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37 thoughts on “Southern Garlic Cheese Grits Bowl”

  1. 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!

  2. 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. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    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.

  4. 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.

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