Green Chili Cheese Grits
When I was in college, I begged my mom to make this vaguely Tex Mex dish every time I came home to visit. We eat it for breakfast with scrambled eggs, and for dinner with pulled pork or brisket. A big bowl of it by itself isn’t a bad idea, either.
Ingredients
- 1 small can chopped green chilis
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 1 cup cornmeal grits (may be packaged as polenta, same thing — just don’t use “quick cooking” or “instant” grits)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (or a mix of both)
Directions
- In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions and garlic, cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.
- Stir in grits, salt, and pepper and return to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and loosely cover. Grits will splatter as they thicken. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often. Toward the end, preheat your oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Very quickly (but carefully!) whisk 1 cup of the hot grits into the eggs, then return the eggs and grits back into the saucepan.
- Fold in the cheese (“You just fold it in…”) and the green chilis. Taste to see if the grits need more salt and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into a buttered casserole dish and bake for about 40 minutes, or until puffed and lightly brown. It won’t be firmly set.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.