Budget Byte’s Cheddar Grits Breakfast Bowl

“Stick with me, kid, and you’ll never need to fight off the weekend brunch crowds again”

— Beth, Budget Bytes

In the midst of the Covid Pandemic, I’m testing out new breakfast foods everyday as a fun way to start the day at home. Today’s breakfast was a real treat from Budget Bytes: Cheddar Grits Breakfast Bowl. I’ve had a similar dish while out at brunch, and fell in love! Being able to recreate it at home was a nice surprise. It is a pretty easy recipe, cheap to make, and only uses a small amount of ingredients. It is also a good pantry meal for future reference!

Let’s Get Cooking

Homemade grits have been something I struggled with in the past. Looking back, I might have been cooking the grits at too high of a temperature for too long, adding too much liquid in the beginning, or maybe adding too much fat (butter) at the beginning.

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Needless to say, Beth’s recipe was simple, and easy to follow. I believe following this recipe will lead to full-proof fluffy and creamy grits every time.

There were two things I changed about this recipe. The first being that I only had 2% milk at home, and venturing out to the store for whole milk right now, would prove to be fruitless (hello pandemic level empty grocery stores near me). I moved forward with the 2% and it turned out just fine. Typically if a recipe calls for whole milk, it’s for a reason. The dish probably needs more fat to cook properly. I was a little nervous moving forward with 2% milk, but it worked out great!

The next thing I changed was using smoked Gouda cheese instead of cheddar. Why? Because: IT. IS. DELICIOUS. Remember the version I had at brunch that I mentioned? Well it was made with smoked Gouda cheese. MMM!

The one thing I would change is the type of salsa that is used. I grabbed some that I pick up from the farmers market to place on top, and it was too much flavor on top of the grits and egg. Next time I would make my own pico and use that as the salsa instead. It would still add flavor without over powering the bowl.

Overall I was very happy with this recipe and I believe anyone else would be too. Bon appetit!

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Cheddar Grits Breakfast Bowl

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup quick cooking yellow grits*
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 oz medium cheddar, grated
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup salsa
• 4 green onions, sliced
• Freshly cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

• Add the water and salt to a medium sauce pot. Place a lid on top, turn the heat on to high, and bring the water up to a rolling boil. Once boiling, stir in the grits. Turn the heat down to low, replace the lid, and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until thickened.*
• Add the butter and milk to the grits and stir until the butter has melted and the grits are smooth. Stir in the grated cheddar, one handful at a time, until fully melted in and smooth. Leave the lid on the pot with the burner turned off to keep the grits warm.
• Cook four eggs using your favorite method (fried, scrambled, soft boiled, etc.). Slice the green onions.
• To build the bowls, place one cup of the cheddar grits in a bowl, top with one egg, 1/4 cup salsa, some freshly cracked pepper, and a sprinkle of sliced green onions.

NOTES

*Make sure to check the directions on your package of grits. Every brand is a little different and they may require a different cooking time or method.

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Let me know how the recipe turned out for you in the comments below!