Spicy Cheese Grits with Shrimp and Sausage

Are you a fan of grits!? (Don’t mind that lurking pumpkin can.)

Grits are not a food I grew up eating – ever! As an adult my experience with grits has been pretty limited too. In fact, I think each experience I’ve had with grits has been documented on the blog.

I had grits for what I believe to be the very first time in my life at Ravens Club about a year and a half ago. I wasn’t very terribly impressed. (Pretty presentation though?)

Two months ago, I gave Ravens Club’s grits another go. Served with their Black Bier BBQ Scallops were “Jalapeño Grits,” which were vastly improved from our initial Ravens Club visit, but still somewhat lacking heat and flavor.

Also locally, I’ve tried Blue Tractor’s cheddar grits, served beneath braised beef short rib. These were very tasty and well seasoned, but a bit lumpy.

About one year ago, I tasted BBQ Shrimp with Grits at the Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas – and I went back for thirds because they were divine! In fact, I even declared that these Shrimp and Grits were,

“…the most delicious thing I had in Vegas during our entire trip.”

And that wraps up my four prior experiences with grits.

This week, for Grits Round Five, I made my own. And honestly – they were the best of the bunch. Well, honestly, it’s a tough call on how they compare with those buttery Vegas grits, but definitely almost as good!

The Spicy Cheese Grits recipe I followed was actually from Cooking Light and used Instant Grits. They were beyond simple to make, and after buying the grits (which were super cheap, by the way), I had everything on hand to make them.

I’m about to whip me up a couple more batches! Seriously. They are so good.

Atop the Spicy Cheese Grits I served Cooking Light’s “Deep South Shrimp & Sausage,” which was also, like, the easiest recipe ever. I’m not joking.

I used frozen (but thawed), peeled, deveined shrimp, removed the tails, heated the shrimp in a skillet, and seasoned with lots of Old Bay and black pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Then, in the same skillet I sautéed bell pepper, smoked turkey sausage (kielbasa – this stuff is also really affordable), and garlic. Then add back the shrimp, and serve it over the grits.

So. Easy.

And so delicious! And professional. I was rather impressed with myself for throwing this dinner together in 15 minutes flat. These two recipes are definitely keepers!

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Deep South Shrimp & Sausage:

Recipe from Cooking Light

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Spicy Cheese Grits

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I used Romano cheese instead)

Preparation

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in grits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in milk. Remove from heat; add remaining ingredients, stirring until cheese melts.

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