Did I have you at Gruyere or Cheese Grits? LOL

Cheese grits is a great breakfast recipe to have on hand. Especially as we move into holiday and tailgate season. I always bring this dish to a tailgate or a holiday brunch and it’s allllways gone. This recipe came from my wonderful Mother In Law and of course, I tweaked it a bit. These grits are pretty next level because you cook it with milk and cheese and all that good stuff, but then you bake it (yes with a little bit of butter…) which just elevates it to about the zillionth degree.

It’s seriously so good. I don’t know if I can ever go back to the regular kind out of a pot. This is also a dish that is best prepared the night before! You can cook it same day, but it really does taste better when it sits over night! I give options for both ways to cook it.

This dish goes great with my Easy Breakfast Strata (linked here). You can make both the night before and finish the cooking in the morning! Perfect for those slow holidays or mornings where you wake up slowly with a cup of coffee to get ready for a bigger meal a little later. I love eating this way!

By now y’all know I’m a big fan of versatility, but this is one of those that isn’t suuuuper versatile. I mean, you can substitute a different cheese if you want, I’ve tried all kinds, but the gruyere/gouda combo is THEBEST. In this recipe I use 1/2 gouda and 1/2 gruyere because the kiddos love the gouda, but the main cheese flavor profile that comes out is definitely the gruyere, so I dubbed them Gruyere Cheese Grits. The gouda just makes it a little less sharp. Seriously. Just try it this way and you’ll see what I mean.

I pinky promise.

Oh. And don’t get the smoked gruyere. Get the regular kind. The smoked gruyere doesn’t have the sharpness that you’re going to be craving after you make these with the regular gruyere.

Anyhoo. Here’s what you need and how you make Gruyere Cheese Grits!

Ingredients:

• 1C Slow Cook Grits
• 2C Water
• 2C Whole or 2% milk
• 1C shredded or grated gruyere cheese 
• 1C shredded or grated gouda
• 2tbsp butter, cut into pieces
• ¼ C Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Cook your grits according to the directions. I like to boil the 2C water with a dash of salt first, then add the 2C milk and slowly bring to a boil before adding my grits because I am notorious for letting milk burn big time to the pot. And it’s annoying. So I’ve adapted. You could also go ahead and use all milk if you’re more responsible than I am (which you probably are). I’ve just done it this way forever now and my family cannot tell a difference in the richness!
2. While the grits are cooking, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 if cooking right away and grease an 8X8 pyrex baking dish. I usually prepare these the night before with this breakfast casserole, so I don’t usually preheat my oven.
3. Once your grits are fully cooked, stir in your cheeses with a wooden spoon. Stir vigorously and thoroughly until all the cheese is melted and very well incorporated into the grits. My Mother In Law beats this mixture for 5 straight minutes with a hand mixer. I’ll be honest. I don’t always have that kind of time. I do it for the major holidays, but if left to my own devices, I don’t beat it for 5 minutes. I do stir it very vigorously for about 2 though. If you beat it for 5 minutes, it does add fluffy-ness that lends itself well to the rich flavor profile of the grits, if you have the patience. If you don’t- don’t sweat it. They’ll be delicious without that step. Trust me.  
4. When the grits are done and cheesed up, pour them into a greased 8X8 pyrex dish. 
5. Spread the 2Tbsp cut up butter over top of the grits and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.
6. Either cover and cook the next morning at 375 with the breakfast casserole for 45 minutes, or cook it by itself right away at 350 for the same amount of time.
7. Enjoy!