Grits and Sausage Casserole

People may be divided into two groups–those who love grits for breakfast and those who do not. I belong to the first group. My fishing partner belonged to the second.

We found this recipe several years ago. I was hunting for a breakfast dish using grits that my partner would eat. It’s a tasty combination of sausage, eggs and grits that even he found palatable. This recipe makes about 12 generous servings.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds bulk sausage
1 cup grits
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
5 eggs
1-1/2 cups whole milk or 1 cup 1% milk and 1/2 cup half and half
1/2 stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown and drain the sausage and layer it on the bottom of 9 x 13-inch greased glass or metal baking pan. Cook the grits according to the package directions and grate the cheese. Stir the butter and cheese into the hot grits and let them cool slightly.

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until lemon yellow, then add the milk, a pinch of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper to the eggs. Stir the eggs and milk into the slightly cooled grits and pour the batter over the sausage in the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about an hour. The casserole is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. You can make the casserole the night before baking and refrigerate it overnight. In that case allow at least one hour and 20 minutes for baking.

Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with juice, coffee tea or milk, toast and good jams and jellies.

NOTES. We have made this for potlucks as well as for overnight guests. Most people who asked “for just a small piece” ask for seconds.

You can use regular or hot sausage or a mixture of the two. Be careful with the salt. The cheese alone adds nearly enough salt to the batter, but we think that it needs just a tad more.