Grits and Sausage Casserole

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted.  We have been very busy!  My son's school year came to end and so did my daughter's college program at Disney World.  We went to Orlando to help her move out of her apartment and bring her home!  Boy, have I missed my girl!  She had a once in a lifetime magical adventure but we are so happy to have her home.

Here is a pic of us with The Beast at Be Our Guest restaurant in Magic Kingdom.  The Beast was very charming!  He helped me out of my mobility scooter and walked me over to take the pic then accompanied me back to my scooter.  Who says chivalry is dead?

We had an amazing vacation!  Now, back to cooking.

I grew up eating grits.  I never realized they were a southern thing until a friend from up north asked me what they were.  In case you don't know, grits are just a hot cereal, like oatmeal or cream of wheat, but they are made from hominy, which is a type of corn.  I always ate them plain, with butter and salt.  But, this recipe bumps up the flavor to turn plain old grits into something fantastic!

GRITS AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

1/2 cup quick cooking grits
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt (plus extra salt/pepper to season)
1/4 lb. breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean)
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 TBS chopped bell pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring water to a boil.  Add salt and slowly whisk in grits.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage with onion and bell pepper in a cast iron skillet (any oven-proof skillet will work.  If you don't have an oven-proof skillet you can just transfer everything to a baking dish before baking).

Once browned, drain off any excess grease.

Stir in the cooked grits and 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Salt and pepper to taste.  (If you want it spicy, use Cajun Seasoning or add a little hot sauce).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

This casserole is so darn delicious!  I couldn't stop eating it.  It's hard to believe something so simple can be so good, but it is.  Creamy, savory with just a bit of spice (or more if you're heavy handed with the hot sauce).  Feel free to garnish with some sliced green onions (I was out so no garnish here, sorry).  But you know how Cajuns feel about food?  It doesn't have to be pretty, just delicious.  This recipe delivers on that!