Make a hearty grits breakfast bowl to start your day right. Creamy, cheesy grits are topped with crumbled pan-fried sausage and scrambled eggs. The perfect comfort food breakfast!
This grits breakfast bowl is the perfect comfort food breakfast. It's made with cheesy grits, pan-fried breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, and chives - you can't get any better than that!
This all-in-one breakfast makes an excellent weekend breakfast or weeknight brinner (breakfast for dinner). Serve with buttermilk biscuits and strawberry jam for a complete, hearty meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Milk - Whole milk is best because it adds a rich, creamy texture to your grits. Lower fat milks will create less creamy grits, but can work in a pinch.
- Cheese - I recommend using freshly shredded cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is often dusted in a powder to prevent clumping, which can make your dish grainy when melted.
- Grits - For this recipe, you'll need stone ground grits. If you only have instant grits on hand, follow the package directions for cooking times.
- Breakfast sausage - Can be pork, chicken, turkey, hot, or mild - any sausage will work in this recipe. You can also substitute the breakfast sausage with cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Butter - Adds flavor to your grits. Salted or unsalted butter works in this recipe.
- Seasoning - Simple salt and pepper add mild, savory flavor to the grits.
- Eggs - You'll need four large eggs to make your grits bowls.
- Chives - Add flavor and color to your finished grits bowls.
Grits tips and tricks
Low and slow - Grits need to be cooked low and slow to get that silky, creamy texture. Don't be tempted to turn up the heat! This will cause your grits to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn - they won't cook faster.
Whisk frequently - Whisk constantly while pouring grits into the pot. Whisk frequently while your grits are cooking to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan or forming lumps.
Grits look dry? - Add a splash of water and turn the heat down slightly.
Test for doneness - Grits are done when they no longer have a grainy texture. Do a taste test. Do you feel a grainy texture? They're not done yet. Cooked grits will be soft and creamy.
Storage
Grits bowls will keep for about 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, lightly cover and microwave at medium heat. You may need to add a splash of water to your grits, but they thin out nicely when reheated.
Frequently asked questions
Grits are made with ground corn - dent corn (Wikipedia) to be exact. The corn is treated with lime to remove the hull. Corn with the hull removed is called hominy. Then, the hominy is dried and coarsely ground, creating grits.
Polenta is made with a different type of corn, flint corn (Wikipedia). Flint corn is put through the same process as dent corn. The main difference is that flint corn is a harder corn, which creates a coarser texture when ground. Polenta and grits go through the same manufacturing process and are cooked similarly. They are very similar dishes but they originate from different parts of the world and are made with different types of corn.
Other great additions include: crumbled bacon, a fried egg, cooked spinach, or salsa.
Do not substitute the milk with more water. Whole milk and butter are a must for creamy, silky grits.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Grits Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup stone ground grits, not instant
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 12 ounces breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add milk, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then slowly whisk in the grits.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, whisking frequently. If grits begin to stick to pan, reduce heat and add a splash of water. Grits should be creamy and thick, with no rough texture remaining when they're done cooking.
- Remove from heat and add pepper, butter, and shredded cheese. Stir until melted and set aside.
- While grits are cooking, warm a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Crumble sausage into pan and cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally with a spatula, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage out of pan, draining all but 1 tablespoon of grease.
- Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until combined. Pour eggs into your greased non-stick skillet over medium to medium-low heat. As eggs begin to set on the bottom of the pan, pull the eggs across the pan with a spatula. This will form egg curds in the pan. Continue pulling and folding the eggs until no liquid remains. Remove from heat.
- Divide cheesy grits between four bowls, then top each bowl with sausage and scrambled eggs. Optionally, add more shredded cheese on top. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Leftovers: Leftover grits bowls will keep for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Microwave at medium heat, adding a splash of water as needed to thin your grits.
- Variations: Sausage can be pork, chicken, turkey, mild, or hot sausage. Sausage can also be substituted with cooked and crumbled bacon.
- Instant grits: If using instant grits, follow the package directions instead of my directions above. Instant grits will cook much more quickly.
This turned out really well. I’m glad we made this recipe.
Plan to make this tomorrow but will try to make it more diabetic friendly by using meatless sausage, less salt and quick grits, dairy free cheese, dairy free milk and dairy free butter. Will give report later.
Hi Pat, sounds like you've made a brand new recipe! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Could cream of wheat be used in place of grits?
I wouldn't recommend using cream of wheat with the instructions above because they cook faster than grits and require different quantities of liquid to cook. If you'd like to have cream of wheat, I'd recommend cooking it according to the box directions, omitting the grits ingredients above, and continuing with the rest of the recipe as written.
Hi, I just wanted to say that I made this the other morning for breakfast and my kids scarfed it down, and requested it again for breakfast tomorrow!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!