For many people a weekend morning without plans is the perfect occasion for sleeping late.  For me, it is the perfect time for a big, homemade breakfast.  At our house, the kids often request my cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip scones, pancakes, or waffles.  However, if the kids aren’t home in the morning, it is the perfect time to try a less sugar- or chocolate-based breakfast.

With no kids home on this past Saturday, I decided to try my hand at baked grits.  Having been raised primarily in New England, grits are not native to my cooking repertoire.  However, with travels to Maryland and Delaware on a fairly frequent basis, I have seen this dish on many menus.  Checking out fellow diners’ meals, grits seemed like a nice replacement for homefries or hashbrowns.

Plain grits seemed okay, if they were topped with butter, salt, and pepper.  To make our grits more flavorful, I decided to add cheddar and parmesan cheeses and dried chipotle chile pepper.  While they baked in the oven for 20 minutes, I had time to cook the sausage and eggs.  I even had an extra minute to make mimosas for an extra special touch.

While much of the Eastern time zone was waking, we were enjoying a hearty, delicious breakfast for two. Personally, I’ll take breakfast with my husband over sleep any day.

Two-Cheese Baked Grits

2014-09-25 23:17:23

Serves 6

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Cook Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Ingredients

1. 4-1/2 cups skim milk
2. 1-1/2 tsp. salt
3. 1/2 tsp. dried chipotle chile pepper
4. 1/2 tsp. black pepper
5. 1 Tb. butter, unsalted
6. 2 cups quick-cooking grits
7. 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
8. 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine milk, salt, chile pepper, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium.
3. Stirring constantly, add grits, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.
4. Stir for 4 – 5 minutes or until grits are creamy. Pour grits into a greased 8 X 8 baking dish.
5. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
6. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Notes

1. Serves 6 generous portions.

By TT

Think Tasty https://www.thinktasty.com/