Easy Southern Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and Grits is a delicious and easy southern dish that is creamy, savory, and topped with seasoned shrimp and crunchy bacon. Perfect for any night of the week.

Shrimp is my daughter’s favorite food! I believe she could eat it every day of the week! Whenever we go to a restaurant, she orders shrimp. Grilled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp Alfredo, pasta with shrimp, sauteed shrimp…you get the point. She loves shrimp. 🙂

Don’t let this recipe scare you away with shrimp as one of the ingredients. This recipe is easy on your budget and is also quick to pull together–even for a weeknight meal.

This version is made with chicken stock, grits, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, and seasoned shrimp. What’s not to love? Pure comfort food any time of the day and any time of the year.

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shrimp and grits
Easy Southern Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and Grits–3 Steps

There are three steps to making this dish. They are not complicated and can be done rather quickly.

Shrimp

First, let’s talk about the main ingredient: Shrimp.
There are many different ways to make shrimp and grits. Mostly it all depends on how the shrimp is cooked and the seasonings used. The choice is yours. You can use traditional, Cajun, spicy, or just butter and garlic. You decide and do what is best for you and your family and you can control the seasonings. My family likes it with a little kick!

Also, the choice is yours with the kind of shrimp you decide to serve. Fresh is best, in my opinion. If you have a place to buy fresh shrimp, then that would be my first choice. But, it’s okay if you are running short on time and need to grab a bag of frozen shrimp. To be honest, I have done this. The shrimp is already peeled, washed, deveined. Huge time saver! The grits are cheap, so this allows you some wiggle room to spend a little more on shrimp if necessary.

Grits

I used white grits for this recipe. If you prefer yellow, use them. Cooking the grits in chicken broth and water makes the grits savory and creamy. Boil chicken broth and water. Add salt and grits. Cook according to package directions.
When grits are done, remove from heat and add cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir well until the cheese has completely melted. You can never go wrong with too much cheese-especially in grits.

Bacon

I believe I could literally eat my weight in bacon. I LOVE Bacon!! You could probably get by only using half of the bacon–but WHY?? Go ahead. Use it!

Fry the bacon in a large skillet. Cook until crispy. Transfer and drain on paper towels. Set aside and try hard not to snack on it! 😉

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Easy Southern Shrimp and Grits
Easy Southern Shrimp and Grits

How to Make Shrimp and Grits

1. Fry the bacon in a large skillet. Cook until crispy. Transfer and drain on paper towels. Chop. Set aside.

2. Boil chicken broth and water. Add salt and grits. Cook according to package directions.
When grits are done, remove them from the heat and add cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir well until the cheese has completely melted.

3. Season both sides of the shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning. Add shrimp to bacon grease and cook for a few minutes on each side or until done. This will take only a few minutes per side. Shrimp cooks fast.

Spoon grits in a bowl. Top with shrimp. Sprinkle bacon over the top. Serve with garlic toast.

My version is easy, fast, and delicious and tasted just as good, if not better, than the ones I had in a restaurant. When it comes to comfort food, I like to keep it simple.

Enjoy for dinner or even breakfast–I certainly won’t judge you!
Do you like your shrimp spicy, traditional, or without seasonings at all?

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Be sure to check out my post, Blackened Salmon and Easy Chicken and Dumplings.

Easy Southern Shrimp and Grits

Easy Southern Shrimp and Grits

Gina Abernathy
Shrimp and Grits is a delicious and easy southern dish that is creamy, savory, and topped with seasoned shrimp and crunchy bacon. Perfect for any night of the week.
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound bacon Cooked and crumbled
  • 1 pound shrimp peeled, deveined, tails off
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 cups Grits
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • Old Bay Garlic & Herb Seasoning

Instructions
 

  • Boil broth and water over medium heat. Add salt. Add grits. Cook according to package directions. Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese has completely melted.
  • Fry the bacon in a large skillet. Cook until crispy. Transfer and drain on paper towels. Chop.
  • Season both sides of shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning. Add shrimp to bacon grease and cook for a few minutes on each side or until done. This will take only a few minutes per side. Shrimp cooks fast.
  • Add grits to a bowl. Top with shrimp and bacon.

9 Comments

  1. I’ll be honest, as a Canadian, I have never had savory grits but this recipe definitely gives me the urge to give it go. 🙂

  2. I love shrimp and grits! For some reason, I have never thought to make it at home and this just what I need to do it.

  3. Despite the fact that I’ve lived in Virginia my entire life, I’ve never had grits. Crazy! I know it’s a super southern state, but it’s just never been something my family ate, so I’ve never tried them. But they do sound really yummy and I’d like to try something like this soon!

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