Southern Baked Garlic Cheese Grits
Loads of butter, cheese and a bit more cheese make this the only cheese grits recipe you'll ever need. Feel free to substitute Monterey jack or provolone or even hot pepper jack for the cheddar. Better still, use a variety of cheeses for the most flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick grits NOT instant
- 8 cups water
- 1 stick butter I use unsalted
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese or a mixture of various cheeses
- 2 tsp salt less if using salted butter
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 2 cups milk
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
Toppings
- cooked, crumbled bacon
- extra grated cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9X13 glass baking dish.
- In a large stock pot over high heat bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add the salt.
- Whisk in grits, breaking up any lumps. Bring water/grits to a boil.
- Turn heat to low and/or move grits to a smaller eye on the stove. They need to cook slowly.
- Continue to cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- Toward the end of cooking time, whisk in the milk and continue to cook.
- Add butter, cheeses and seasonings to the cooked grits. Let melt, then stir to combine well.
- Whisk in the lightly beaten eggs. Keep it moving -- you don't want the eggs to scramble!
- Pour into the buttered baking dish.
- Bake for about one hour until just a tiny bit jiggly. This may take longer in your oven, so start the dish in plenty of time for dinner : )
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Serve chopped bacon and extra cheese for toppings.
Notes
This recipe can easily be halved and baked in 8-9" oven proof dish.