No disrespect, but these are not your Mama’s shrimp & grits, y’all! These Creamy Loaded Shrimp & Grits feature perfectly cooked shrimp piled on top of a sweet corn, pepper, onion, crispy, bacon and fresh basil medley that’s nestled on a bed of creamy, buttery grits that are jam packed with Parmesan. Top it off with an easy pesto cream sauce and I guarantee you’ll be holding one of the best bowls of shrimp & grits you’ve ever had!
Creamy Loaded Shrimp & Grits
Ingredients
Grits
- 1 cup grits
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups half & half
- 1/2 cup butter
- Salt pepper, garlic blend
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish
- Fresh basil-very thinly sliced
Veggie Medley
- 3 ears corn cut off the cob
- 6 strips crispy bacon chopped
- 1/2 small red onion wedged
- 3 mini tri colored peppers sliced
- Salt pepper, garlic blend
- Fresh basil-very thinly sliced
Shrimp
- 1 pound large shrimp
- 1/4 cup butter
- Salt pepper, garlic blend
Pesto Cream
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo
- Salt pepper, garlic blend
- 1/2 lime juice and zest
Method
Grits
- Bring water & cream to a boil over medium high heat.
- Slowly whisk in grits to ensure no lumps.
- Reduce heat to low, cover pot and cook about 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in butter, Parmesan, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Veggie Medley
- Cook bacon until very crispy, drain on paper towels. Remove all but about 1⁄4 grease from pan.
- Add onions, peppers & corn to pan & sauté until caramelized.
- Stir bacon into mixture.
- Set aside.
Shrimp
- Add butter to pan and cook shrimp in batches for 3-5 minutes per side until pink throughout.
Pesto Cream
- Mix pesto, yogurt, mayo, salt, pepper, garlic, lime juice, and zest. Stir until smooth.
Assembly
- Place 1 serving of grits on a plate.
- Top with 1⁄4th veggie medley.
- Divide shrimp over top.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves & Parmesan cheese.