What’s important is there’s butter, bacon, and cheese, and tons of flavors!
Ingredients
Grits
- 1 cup Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Grits
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp chicken base
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Shrimp Sauce
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1/2 cup diced onion or 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 cup diced red or green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried fennel
- 1 lbs jumbo shrimp deveined with tail-on
- 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- crushed red pepper flakes and diced green onions (optional)
Instructions
Grits
- In a large saucepan, add water, chicken base, cream, butter, and bring to a boil.
- Slowly stir in the grits. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 12 - 14 minutes or until thicken.
- Occasionally stir grits to prevent sticking and clumping. The grits should be nice and smooth. If clumping does occur, use a whisk to stir and remove the clumps. If it's too thick, add a little milk.
- Stir in cheese until melted. Turn off the stove. Set grits aside and keep warm.
Shrimp Sauce
- Rinse shrimp, pat dry, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel. Drain the pan, but keep at least 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
- On medium-low, sauté minced garlic, bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms in the bacon grease. After 5 minutes set to the side in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add raw shrimp (pat dry) and olive oil and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning. Sauté the shrimp in the skillet. After pink on both sides remove from skillet and add to a separate bowl.
- In the same skillet, add butter, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions. Next add shrimp. Next add heavy whipping cream and stir. Next add 1 tsp of cajun seasoning, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, dried fennel, and smoked paprika. Heat for 2 minutes.
- Once sauce is complete, serve over grits. Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and diced green onions.
