This Easy Shrimp and Grits recipe features creamy grits with cheddar cheese topped with sautéed shrimp swimming in butter, garlic and lemon juice. Sounds perfect, right?
This recipe for Southern-style Easy Cheesy Shrimp and Grits is one of my favorite dishes. It’s not only quick and easy, but it is delicious. It can be prepared in less than 20 minutes and makes a great weeknight dinner or a special entrée for guests and even better when you wanna feed a new partner a simple but yummy dish.
There are lots of shrimp and grits recipes out there, but I hope you try this one. Like any Southern California girl, I love love, love cheesy grits, and have them for breakfast all the time. I think any cheese is delicious with grits, but this recipe uses Cheddar cheese. I have also used Parmesan as well, along with lemon juice and garlic it elevates your grits to a new level of deliciousness. It’s simply divine!
Once the grits are boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, frequently whisking until thickened.
If your grits get too thick, add more water and mix well. I prefer my grits on the thicker side but if you like thinner grits, by all means, add the more liquid.
Once your grits have thickened, (about 5-7 minutes) add two tablespoons of unsalted butter and two tablespoons of heavy cream. (The cream is optional, and you can use Half and Half or milk. It just makes them extra creamy!)
Once the grits are done, add the cheese and whisk well. Remove the grits from the heat and cover to keep warm while you sautè the shrimp.
Season the shrimp with a little pinch of salt and pepper. Be careful here, the cheddar cheese in the grits naturally has quite a bit of salt, so use restraint.
HOW TO SAUTÈ THE SHRIMP:
Melt four tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, shrimp, and cayenne pepper and sautè, frequently stirring until the shrimp are pink. (3-4 minutes). Remove from the heat and add four tablespoons water, lemon juice, and parsley. Stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce.
Divide the grits into four bowls and top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with extra parsley if desired.
Enjoy!
Easy Shrimp and Grits
4
servings5
minutes15
minutes274
kcalIngredients
1 cup quick grits
1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream (optional)
1 cup cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese
- Shrimp and Sauce
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 lb extra-large shrimp peeled, deveined with tails removed
2 cloves garlic finely minced
essence or pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Directions
- Grits
Bring 5 cups of water to boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, whisk in 1 cup of Quick Grits,1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, whisking frequently to prevent lumps. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. Stir in 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp cream, if using, and mix well. Add the cheese and mix well again. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. - Shrimp and Sauce
Season the shrimp with my essence or salt and pepper. Add 4 Tbsp of butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, shrimp and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp are pink about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped parsley, lemon juice, and 4 Tbsp water and mix well to coat the shrimp. - Divide the grits into 4 bowls and top with the shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with extra parsley if desired.
