Cheesy grits and pork sausage cook up a Southern version of the breakfast casserole recipe perfect for overnight guests and brunch!
I came home last week (on my birthday actually!) to find a copy of the annual Taste of Home 2012 Holiday & Celebrations cookbook. Happy birthday to ME!! I've been down this road before so I knew that meant one or more of my recipes was featured in it :)
I flipped it open and didn’t have to look far before I stumbled across the full page feature. Holla! That’s a first!
This recipe is my Southern spin on the more common breakfast casseroles that use bread slices. I had a dish similar to this at a bridal bruncheon once and fell in love. I tried to recreate what I’d eaten and came up with this!
I love to serve this any time of year but especially around Christmas! You can also portion this out into ramekins for individual servings!
If you come across this recipe in the Taste of Home book you’ll notice there are a few differences. They replaced my breakfast sausage with Italian sausage and added sage. I don’t really think Italian sausage and grits go together (which might be why they added sage?) but what do I know. They’re the ones with the successful cookbook business!
Sausage, Casserole, Breakfast, Grits, Cheese, Christmas, Brunch, Eggs, Recipe, Easy
Yield: 12-15 Servings
Sausage & Cheese Grits Breakfast Casserole
prep time: 20 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 65 mins
ingredients
- 2 lbs. breakfast sausage
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking grits
- 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 6 eggs beaten
instructions
Brown sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain well, and set aside.
Bring water and chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in salt and grits then return to a boil. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; add cheese, milk, butter, garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper; stirring until cheese melts. Stir in sausage and eggs. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until golden and bubbly and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare casserole mixture as directed above but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator; let stand, covered 30 minutes. Uncover and bake as directed.
Individual Serving Directions: Prepare casserole mixture as directed above and spoon into ramekins. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden and bubbly and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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Can't wait to try this!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great dish, my wife and kids love it. When I make it I double the recipe to make sure it goes far enough.
DeleteSounds like a recipe that a cousin was going to share with me but she had misplaced it. I am going to give this a try, for sure! Congrats also on having it published in a great TOH book :-)
ReplyDeleteI SO love this idea! Looks fabulous. Congrats on having it featured in a major ToH magazine - WOWZERS! Thanks so much for linking up at Weekend Potluck!
ReplyDeleteI tried this casserole and took it to the office to share with my co-workers. Everyone loved it!! It is absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
ReplyDeleteYAY!!! I'm so glad you liked it! Did you convert any nonbelievers into grits eaters???
DeleteTried this to take to work. I have a co-worker that is allergic to potatoes and it's hard to find a casserole that doesn't have potatoes. This was a huge hit. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAllergic to potatoes?! That's the saddest thing I've ever heard! Glad y'all liked it! Thanks for taking the time to comment :)
DeleteSo glad my daughter forwarded me your site. I need this recipe for a brunch next Monday. One of the ladies is sensitive to gluten. This will work! Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteFollowing you from Weekend Potluck. =)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great Breakfast recipe!
Could ham be another alternative? I'm looking to make 2 of these and wanted to make the 2nd one with a different meat...
ReplyDeleteI hope I'm not too late with a response! I think ham would be great. I'd dice it up fine and fry it up with a little vegetable oil to crisp up the edges a bit. And maybe use 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 swiss cheese. Let me know if you try it!
DeleteOne thing about a "recipe" is that most ANYTHING can be changed in it. If you like squirrel, use it.
DeleteCan anyone break down the quanities for a smaller dish. There are only 2 of us and we could not eat all this and I don't have freezer room (if it is freezeable). Sounds delicious.
ReplyDeletecut all the ingredients in half and bake in an 8x8 dish.
DeleteOMG-this looks delicious! I think this would be a great make-ahead for a weekend camping trip!! Sausage-cheese-grits-what's not to love!?
ReplyDeletehas anyone tried freezing this? I have no idea how grits would do in the freezer, we love this dish but it always makes more than we can eat. Plus with a little one on the way I need some quick breakfast ideas!!
ReplyDeleteI would think it would freeze fine! I've been tempted to buy those little aluminium containers and freeze individual portions. If you try it, let us know!
DeleteDo you need to let grits mixture cool a bit before adding eggs? Hot grits will completely cook eggs.
ReplyDeleteI didn't. The sausage had been sitting, and cooling, for about 30 minutes while I did the grit mixture. I turned off the heat under the grit mixture (using induction cooktop, so it stopped immediately) and added the sausage to it. I'd already had the eggs in a bowl, beat them and then added to the girt/sausage mix. And poured the whole thing into a crockpot. There was no indication of the eggs cooking prematurely.
DeleteHow many people does this serve? I have to take a brunch casserole to work on Monday and thought this migh do nicely.
ReplyDeleteI guess it depends on how hungry everybody is! LOL... I'd say 12 generous servings.
DeleteCan stone-ground grits (not instant) be used? I have a bag of stone ground grits that I bought recently at a festival and i'm anxious to use them!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! You may have to add more liquid - just use the package instructions to figure out how much liquid is required to cook 1 1/4 cups.
DeleteThank you!!!! I will be making this soon, likely for Christmas morning! It looks so delicious! Thanks again!
DeleteThree person family I was already halving the ingredients in my head, I saw that you said use 8x8 but does the cook time go down? by how much? and do you have to cool the grits to add eggs?
ReplyDeleteDoes this end up being creamy or is it dryer/firmer?
ReplyDeleteIt's creamy when you first take it out but if it sets a while, it will firm up.
DeleteSounds like something good.
ReplyDeleteMaking this as one of my Christmas brunch items - so glad I found your site and this recipe!
ReplyDeleteDelicious! Best breakfast casserole I've ever eaten. Great served with southern gravy and biscuits.
ReplyDeleteCooked in the casserole slow cooker all night on low. Also brought to tennis match in the slow cooker & used extension cord to keep it plugged in.
ReplyDelete2 questions...I'd like to make ahead but need to travel about 3 hrs with the dish. What do you recommend? Could I partially cook and freeze? and for individual portions, would a muffin tin work?
ReplyDeleteD-lish! Took it to church for the mens breakfast and it was loved by all- a keeper for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe was a hit with my family on Christmas morning! And tonight I'm making it again (breakfast for supper). Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteNice! I'm so happy to hear that!
DeleteDo you need to temper the eggs before adding them into the grits.
ReplyDeleteNo, once you remove them from the heat and add the cheese, milk and butter they're cool enough to add the eggs :)
DeleteWhat do you think about adding two or three long green (Hatch) chiles to this? I'm a big fan of chile-cheese grits, and this addition would make this casserole sing to me!
ReplyDeleteI added a can of drained Rotel and chopped jalapenos. It was awesome!
DeleteMade this last night for supper for a family who proclaimed to disliked grits—everyone had seconds and nothing was left in the pan. Thanks for helping me show my family that grits are yummilicious
ReplyDeleteI saw your response regarding cutting the recipe in half. How long would you bake the casserole?
ReplyDeleteI would probably check at 30 minutes. I haven't made it yet because I was planning on serving it when the kids come for Christmas. I hope they like it. Maybe serving it near the end of their visit will mean I'll have leftovers for myself after they leave. :-)
DeleteSounds delicious! Do you know how far in advance this can be made ahead of time and refrigerated? Do you also know if it can possibly be frozen?
ReplyDeleteI followed this recipe and made this with Jimmy Deans hot sausage and Bob’s red mill polenta styled grits. It was phenomenal. My family loved it. Can’t wait to make it for upcoming houseguests.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I made this, it was so overtaken by the garlic powder that we could barely eat it. I now don't add ANY garlic and it still tastes great!
ReplyDeleteThis is by far the best grit casserole I’ve ever had. I make it for my church on Wednesday night when I cook breakfast for supper and it always gets rave reviews! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThis is a regular that I make now and I use chorizo in the sausage mixture and it is delicious!
ReplyDeleteUsed 1/2 sharp cheddar and 1/2 Gouda Was delicious Going to try stone ground grits next time for more texture
ReplyDeleteCan you make this without eggs if someone is allergic?
ReplyDelete