Spicy Cheese Grits Recipes

CAJUN SPICED CHEESY GRITS

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk, water, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper and garlic powder to boiling. Gradually add grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
• Add cheeses to grits mixture; stir until cheese is melted. Serve warm. Garnish with onions.

CHEESE GRITS

Steps:

• Place the milk, water, and salt into a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once the milk mixture comes to a boil, gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once all of the cornmeal has been incorporated, decrease the heat to low and cover. Remove lid and whisk frequently, every 3 to 4 minutes, to prevent grits from sticking or forming lumps; make sure to get into corners of pot when whisking. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is creamy.
• Remove from the heat, add the pepper and butter, and whisk to combine. Once the butter is melted, gradually whisk in the cheese a little at a time. Serve immediately.

EASY CHEESY LOADED GRITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain., In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, about 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat., Add green chiles, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, butter and pepper sauce; stir until cheese is melted. Stir in eggs, then sausage mixture., Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses; sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and set, 50-60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro.

SPICY OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH CHEESE GRITS AND CHORIZO REDUCTION

Steps:

• Pour buttermilk and hot sauce into a large bowl or zip-top bag; mix well. Add chicken and marinate for 4 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
• Combine bread crumbs, flour, paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and chili powder in a bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and dredge in crumb mixture. Place coated chicken onto the prepared wire rack.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers and juices run clear, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add milk, water, salt, and pepper to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and add grits. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent clumping. Remove from heat and add Mexican cheese and butter; stir until well incorporated and creamy.
• While chicken and grits are cooking, cook chorizo, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno in a large skillet over medium-high heat until meat is browned and vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain grease from the skillet. Stir in garlic and continue to cook over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Stir cherry tomatoes, vegetable broth, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce into the skillet, reduce heat to low, and let simmer until reduced, stirring as needed, about 15 minutes. Add heavy cream; let simmer and continue to reduce until sauce coats a spoon, about 5 minutes more.
• Place grits into a bowl, top with chorizo reduction sauce, and top with spicy fried chicken. Garnish with Cotija cheese.

SPICY LOW-COUNTRY SHRIMP AND GRITS

Steps:

• Grits: Bring milk, salt, pepper, and butter to a boil. Stir in grits, pepper flakes, and pepper sauce over low heat. When consistency is ready, in about 45 to 50 minutes add cheese and stir.
• Shrimp: Toss shrimp in Cajun seasoning and set aside. In a saute pan, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the sausage and render for 3 minutes. Add garlic, stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and butter and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper, piquillo peppers, and pepper flakes. Add half wine (drink what's leftover), and fresh herbs and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Plate grits in a shallow bowls with shrimp mixture over the top. Garnish with scallions and serve.

CHEESE GRITS

Steps:

• Cook the grits according to the package instructions, adding the salt with the water. Turn off the heat just before the grits are done.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs. To temper the eggs before adding them to the hot grits, throw a couple of spoonfuls of the hot grits into the eggs. Begin stirring immediately and continue stirring until the mixture is well combined.
• Pour the egg mixture into the grits. Stir constantly to incorporate the eggs into the grits. Add the butter and stir until melted. Next, add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the cayenne and garlic and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt or cayenne if necessary. You could also add more cheese if you think that will bring happiness to your life, but keep in mind that some cheeses increase the salt content more than others.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and pour the grits into the dish. Bake until the grits are hot and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. The grits will become firmer as they cool.

CHEESY CREOLE GRITS

Steps:

• In a large saucepot combine 3 cups of water, milk, Creole seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil.
• Whisking, add grits in a slow steady stream. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in butter and cheese. Top with Andouille Sausage Creole, if desired.

KENTUCKY GARLIC CHEESE GRITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• Beat milk, egg, garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce in a bowl.
• Bring water and salt to a boil in a saucepan; cook and stir grits in boiling water until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add butter and about 1/2 of the Cheddar cheese. Stir egg mixture into grits and pour grits into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining Cheddar cheese over grits.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and grits are set, about 1 hour. Allow grits to cool 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Grits should be cornbread-like.

SPICY CHEESE GRITS

Steps:

• Prepare the grits (instant or regular) as normal, according to packaging, to make four servings.
• When grits are almost to their finished texture, mix in the rest of the listed ingredients. Stir well and heat for another few minutes until everything is well incorporated.
• You can either eat them immediately (which we usually do), or you can spread it about an inch thick it into a lightly pan-sprayed or buttered cooking pan and refrigerate it (and/or any leftovers) and cut it into squares or wedges for browning and re-heating in a sauté pan later. Either way, they're delicious.
• Note: Whether or not I add the pepperjack cheese depends on what texture I'm feeling like eating. It's smoother without the cheese, a little gloppier (but cheesier!) with the pepperjack. If I'm using jalepenos from the jar, I pour in some of the juice from those, too.
• Makes 4 servings.