Cheese Grits Casserole is a Southern favorite and this version is the best! We use Cheddar cheese and a little half-and-half with eggs to make it rich and creamy. This recipe is a family and friends favorite!
Cheese grits…once a Southern tradition and now starting to appear on menus everywhere. The beauty of grits is that they are neutrally flavored and therefore go with many different types of food: shrimp, pork chops, New Orleans style grillades and of course, traditional breakfast fare such as bacon or sausage and eggs.
Plain grits are fine and dandy and probably the preferred style for a Southern breakfast. But make a baked cheese grits casserole and you have elevated a side dish into a main event.
This recipe comes from my friend, Rita, and she is not allowed to come to brunch without bringing a dish of these grits!
What are cheese grits made of
Grits are made from whole, dried corn kernels that are ground either coarsely for stone-ground grits, or fine for quick-cooking grits. Then we add cheese, butter, milk, and eggs to make cheese grits.
You can even add some roasted peppers like I did with my Roasted Poblano Cheese Grits, which pairs especially well for shrimp and grits!
Check out all of our best breakfast recipes here!
Tools needed
- Large saucepan to cook grits – you’ll use this pot for so many things!
- Box grater – sometimes I don’t want to pull out the food processor
- Baking dish – this dish is perfect for your cheese grits casserole
How to make cheese grits casserole
You can start with quick-cooking grits or as I prefer, stone-ground grits.
Tip: Stone-ground grits deliver more flavor but take about 25 minutes to cook, whereas quick-cooking grits are done in about 8 minutes.
Step 1. Cook the grits.
Cook the grits according to the instructions on whatever package you’re using.
Step 2. Add cheese and other ingredients.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese and the butter until melted.
Now add 1/2 cup of half-and-half. You can use milk if you don’t have half-and-half.
Take two eggs and lightly beat them in a small bowl, then add a couple of spoonfuls of hot grits to the eggs, one spoonful at a time. This will temper the eggs so they won’t scramble when you add them to the pot.
Step 3. Bake the cheese grits.
Stir the eggs into the pot of grits and then pour the whole concoction into a lightly greased 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake the grits for about 40 minutes until set.
Serving suggestions
Cheese grits are a nice side dish for breakfast or supper. You can pair your baked cheese grits with this overnight breakfast casserole or oven baked omelet, or try them with pork chops.
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Cheese Grits Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup grits
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup half and half or milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Lighly grease a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucpan, then stir in grits and cook according to package directions.
- When grits are done, remove from heat. Stir in cheese and butter until melted. Stir in half-and-half.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of the hot grits to the lightly beaten eggs, stirring in one tablespoon at a time. Add egg mix to the pot of grits.
- Pour grits into prepared dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes until set.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published May 31, 2011, and on August 13, 2020, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
Looking for a way to use your cheese grits? Try this great recipe for Shrimp and Grits.
Southerners love cheese grits, don’t we? Molly – my grandfather used to make scrambled eggs with velveeta cheese — nobody can make them as good as he did!
I LOVE CHEESE GRITS! My granny always made them with velveeta…so good!
Those look so good…’cause they are! I love cheese grits 🙂