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Pimento cheese is one of those things that does not last very long in our house. Make batch, do a quick errand, come back.. gone! It doesn’t seem to matter how much I make, it’s gone in an instant. Where does it go? Well, one place is in this delicious easy grits dish. Creamy, yummy grits with kicked up pimento cheese. You can’t beat it. Sure, pimento cheese is great on crackers or sandwiches, but in grits… oh me is it ever amazing. Always make extra.
As much as grits are a wonderful thing, the star of this show is the pimento cheese and it deserves the love and the attention it needs to be extraordinary. First, hand shred your cheese. None of that pre-shredded bagged stuff. It has cornstarch or other coatings on it to keep it from sticking. Nope, pass on that. If you’re not a big fan of shredding with your old hand-powered box shredder, get one of these. It’s awesome!
Second, make the pimento cheese the night before you make this dish. Let it get happy in the fridge, just hanging out. It’s better that way. The flavors and the consistency are better the next day.
Easy Pimento Cheese Grits
Ingredients
For the grits
- 2 cups whole milk or half and half
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup quick cooking grits
- 1 cup pimento cheese from below
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley chopped, for garnish, if desired
For the pimento cheese
- ½ pound extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ pound Pepper Jack cheese shredded
- 4 ounce pimentos diced, not drained
- ½ small red onion diced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the grits
- Add the milk and water to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the grits, stirring as you pour.
- Add salt to taste.
- Let the grits simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often, until they are thick and creamy.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the pimento cheese and season with pepper.
- Serve garnished with parsley if desired.
For the pimento cheese
- Place all ingredients except the salt and pepper into a bowl. Combine.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.
- Refrigerate at least an hour before using.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
