Pimento cheese grits have all of the fabulous flavor of pimento cheese, with only the lazy boil and wait prep of classic Southern grits.
Grits have always been a favorite food in my house. I've been meaning to share some of my favorite grits recipes for a while, so I'm starting with my most recent favorite: Pimento Cheese Grits.
This recipe is SUPER easy and contrary to what you'd expect, does not actually contain any of the classic mayonnaise-y cream cheese-y stuff ( although if you want a recipe for that, I've got one and it's gooooooood. ) Don't worry though, a hit of butter makes sure you are still clogging your arteries just a little when you eat these grits.
One note about making grits: Do not, I repeat DO NOT, use quick, instant, or any other sort of shortcut grits. I refuse to be held responsible if you make bad ingredient decisions and ruin my recipe with your bad choices.
What are good grits to buy, you ask?? There are quite a few great grits producers, but as a general rule: Good Grits Come in Cloth Bags. Look for brands like Anson Mills or Geechie Boy Mill ( which actually come in a paper bag, but it is the ONLY exception!), both of which you can buy online if you can't find them in the store.
Pimento Cheese Grits
Ingredients
- 1 cup of Stone Ground Grits
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups Water
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 5 ounce block Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 2 heaping Tablespoons of Chopped Pimentos drained
- ½ Tablespoon Juice from Pimento Jar
- a Pinch scant ⅛th teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, add the salt to the water and bring to a boil.
- Add the grits, reduce heat to low, stir thoroughly, and cover.
- Cook for 18 - 20 minutes on low, covered.
- Add butter, black pepper, cheese, pimentos, pimento juice, and chili flakes and stir to combine.
amy says
yes ma'am! these look DELICIOUS! seriously - i want a whole bowl right now.
where do you get your pimentos?! i always just buy the pimento cheese pre-made!
basilandbubbly says
Thank you! You can get pimentos in with the jarred ( not canned, although sometimes they are all in the same place ) olives at the grocery store. Also, you can substitute roasted red peppers, which I get from the Olive Bar at Whole Foods, and finely dice them.
Monica Lavin says
This looks delicious!! I just had a pimento cheese sandwich at the Masters and I've been craving them since!
Ryan | A Polished Palate says
Anything with pimento cheese, count. me. in!!!
basilandbubbly says
I'm totally with you!
alexandria says
Grits from Magnolias... Yum. I'm from WI so I had never had them til I went there.
basilandbubbly says
I grew up eating them, but I never starting making them a la pimento cheese until this year, and now I'm totally hooked.
Kelley says
Must. Make. These. Asap.
basilandbubbly says
Yessssss do it! They are so simple