Cheddar Garlic Grits with Fried Eggs
You won't miss the meat in this easy, ten minute vegetarian dinner that's perfect for Meatless Monday!
Servings 2 servings
Calories 342kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup quick cooking grits found by the oatmeal in most stores
- 4 cloves garlic see notes
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 4 large eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. As the water is coming to a boil, grate the garlic into the water using a microplane grater.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in the grits, and cover. Continue cooking at a simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the grits have thickened to your liking.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar and chives. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
- While the grits are cooking, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray or add a pat of butter to the pan.
- Crack the eggs into the pan (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook the eggs in batches) and cook over medium low heat until the thick whites surrounding the yolk begin to turn opaque. Carefully flip the egg over and continue cooking until the yolk has cooked to your satisfaction.
- Pour the grits into two shallow bowls. Top each bowl with two eggs and more salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Garlic: We used to call for just 1 clove of garlic in this recipe, but I've found over the years that I've slowly added more and more. I love the strong garlic flavor from 4 cloves of garlic, but you can reduce it down if you want less, especially if this is more of a breakfast than a dinner situation. And yes, grating garlic into boiling water seems strange, but it really flavors the grits perfectly without any surprise garlic chunks.
Cheddar: This recipe used to call for 1/4 cup of cheese, but I would always find myself stirring in extra. I now go big with an entire cup of cheddar. It's rich and cheesy. You can start with less and add to taste. The grits retain the heat nicely, so it's easy to stir more in after tasting. It'll melt just fine.
Salt: I add around a teaspoon or more of salt here. Grits are very plain and I think they need quite a bit of salt to really shine, but start slow and add as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 386mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 201mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 1.3mg | Calcium: 313mg | Iron: 17mg