Creamy stone-ground grits flavored with cheese, corn, and vidalia onion.
Grits are an extremely popular food throughout the southeast, eaten not just for breakfast, but lunch and dinner too. Low Country Shrimp and Grits has become one of the most popular dishes made with grits, but grits can be used in a variety of ways from fried grit cakes to mushrooms stuffed with grits.
The cookbook 101 Things to Do with Grits
can really get your creative juices flowing when it comes to cooking with grits. This cookbook has many ways to use grits that I never thought of, the most original of which might be using grits in tiramisu. Why not I guess.
I’ll have to try it and let you know how it tastes. But I’m thinking if there’s mascarpone cheese involved, it has to be good.
This recipe for Cheese Grits with Vidalia Onion and Corn is a great spring/summer side dish and it is delicious served with grilled chicken or shrimp. When cooking grits, stone-ground grits are really the way to go. You can use quick grits, but do not under any circumstances use instant grits. They are vile.
Stone-ground grits take longer to cook, but are well worth the time. They cook up of so creamy and heavenly. Grocery stores, even in the heart of the south, typically do not carry stone-ground grits, primarily because they are perishable and should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. You can order them online through a number of sources. Palmetto Farms
is a brand I’ve been happy with and it can be purchased through amazon.com.
Anson Mills out of Columbia, SC is considered by many to produce the best stone-ground grits. They are a little on the pricy side at $5.95 for a 12-ounce bag and they take a very ling time to cook. The Old Mill Of Guilford in Oak Ridge, NC also has delicious mail order grits.
You can buy either white grits or yellow grits and I tend to prefer white grits. This recipe is very versatile and is great for using odds and ends in your refrigerator. I’ve used Parmesan and cheddar cheese, but just about any type of cheese tastes good mixed into grits. Likewise, I can’t think of a vegetable I don’t like to eat with grits, so get creative and have fun!
Cheese Grits with Corn and Vidalia Onion
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium Vidalia diced,, or any type sweet onion
- 2 ears corn,, kernals cut from husks
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups water
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup stone-ground grits
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Tabasco sauce
- green onions,, sliced
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.
- Add corn and continue to sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add milk, water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
- When mixture boils, gradually whisk in the grits. If you mix them in too fast, they will clump.
- Turn heat down to low and simmer, whisking every now and then, for 40-50 minutes. (The amount of times it takes to cook the grits will vary according to the brand. It is best to go by the cooking time on the package. Some will only take 20-30 minutes. Others can take up to 60 minutes.)
- Stir in butter, both cheeses, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce and green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: Spicy Southern Kitchen is an amazon.com affiliate.
I am a grits lover of many years, having ordered the good kind by mail over the grocery store variety, since I left the southeast 4 decades ago. I routinely pick up a couple packages every time I visit Virginia. AND I ALWAYS order shrimp and grits when it is on the menu. I have to say: This recipe is the best grits dish EVER! Even the leftovers were fabulous! The only thing I changed was to use broth, rather than water, and frozen corn since it was on-hand! Thanks
Growing up in Hawaii, grits was not a commin staple. I learned to eat my grits with sugar and butter. Boy have i missed out!! I tried grits corn and andoulle sausage. It is so satisfying! This is my new comfort food.
So happy you have fallen in love with grits! Such an inexpensive, comfort food!
can you share your recipe? Sounds real good.
Looks delicious, love grits with cheese and corn.. most anything!! 🙂
Looking back, I can’t believe the number of years that I cooked grits with water, period! Oh, and don’t forget the salt. Now, I am always trying new versions. Your recipe is right-on except for a little whipped cream cheese. Try it! In the summer, we love fresh peaches served with our grits.
Definitely going to try them with a little whipped cream cheese and peaches! Sounds wonderful. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂