Shrimp and Grits Casserole

A creamy and comforting Southern staple in casserole form delicious Shrimp and Grits Casserole. Easy to make and sure to be a family dinner favorite.

Shrimp and grits. It's totally a southern-tradition dish with which I was absolutely unfamiliar until I moved to North Carolina. Grits just aren't a Vermont thing.

I'll admit, I was afraid to try it at first. But every good Southerner has had shrimp and grits, so as someone who chose for the South to be my home, I had to give it a try. And I am so glad I finally did.

Because now? It's one of my favorites! I'm a shrimp and grits convert, for sure.

A lot of shrimp and grits dishes are spicy - This shrimp and grits dish certainly is not. It's a very mild-flavored, cheesy, shrimpy grits casserole-style dish, without the typical spice.

To be honest though, I'm still not a fan of just plain grits. Mixed in with stuff? - sure, love them. But in my 25 years of a now-Southerner, plain grits is just something I've never been able to develop a taste for. Oh well, I'll just stick to putting shrimp and lots of cheesy goodness in my grits!

Now, a lot of shrimp and grits dishes are spicy - including lots of bold spices and often even Andouille sausage to bring the heat.

This shrimp and grits dish certainly is not. It's a very mild-flavored, cheesy, shrimpy grits casserole-style dish, without the typical spice.

And while I love the classic spicy shrimp and grits, I love this mild-flavored casserole just as much.

To whip up this Southern favorite, start by cooking up your grits.

I've learned from my Southern-born friends who've grown up cooking grits, the secret to good grits is to add the grits to the liquid mixture very slowly. And to be sure to whisk them constantly while you're adding the grits, and then cook them until they're very thick.

When you're just starting to add the grits to the cooking liquid, they'll look like this:

And once they're done, they'll look nice and thick like this:

Once the grits are cooked, stir in some Parmesan, cream cheese, chives, parsley, shrimp, and a little squeeze of lemon juice.

The Parmesan, chives, parsley, and lemon bring fabulous flavor to the gits. And the touch of cream cheese brings wonderful creaminess.

I've learned from my Southern-born friends who've grown up cooking grits, the secret to good grits is to add the grits to the liquid mixture very slowly.

I like to leave the shrimp in pretty big pieces - for 2 reasons:

I like to get nice big bites of shrimp when eating the finished casserole.
Leaving the shrimp in a bit bigger pieces helps ensure they won't overcook when the casserole is baking.

If your shrimp are on the small size, leave them whole. I they're large shrimp, coarsely chop them.

Spoon the shrimp and grits mixture into a baking dish. Then, bake it all up until the grits are set and the shrimp are pink.

I like to bake mine until little spots of light brown are just starting to appear on the high-spots around the edges of the grits.