Sausage & Grits Chowder
Sausage & Grits Chowder is so much better than the traditional version. Featuring crispy chunks of ground breakfast sausage, tender grits, and chunks of potato in a comforting broth, it’s served topped with shredded cheddar cheese and served with crisp toast for dipping. Brunch or dinner, this is a totally divine option for either course.
A bowl of steaming grits is a Southern wake-up call in many homes, mine included. Kinda like the Southern man’s oatmeal, they’re a real institution in the South. They’re also surprisingly controversial- people seem to either love them, or hate them.
Most of our family falls on the love ’em, and not the leave ’em side of things thankfully.
While I love grits, I’ve been a bit jaded with the same ol’, same ol’ breakfasty/brunchy blend.
A lot of recipes for a pairing of grits and anything incorporate TONS of butter, cheese and eggs.
My version is somewhat conservative when it comes to making a typical meal of it. For example, there’s no butter, or eggs, and the cheese was only a garnish.
It’s going against the grain, but I’ll let you in on a little secret, Grandma’s grits aren’t only for breakfast or brunch anymore. An even more mind blowing fact for anyone not from under the Mason Dixon line? Grits were never meant, or intended, to be a solely breakfast or brunch item.
In that way, I’d actually liken it more to rice than to the oatmeal I mentioned earlier.
Move over shrimp & grits. We’ve upgraded. Either way, at the breakfast table or not, you’d be hard-pressed to try to win an argument that sausage & grits aren’t a staple on virtually any Southern kitchen’s breakfast menu.
Sausage & Grits are an award winning combo, and while a chowder may not be a ‘typical’ use for grits in my neck of the woods- one bite and you might be calling it Southern Heaven.
One whiff and you’re gonna be ready to dig right into your bowl, so let’s dive into the recipe details.
Instead of the standard quick cooking grits cooked in water, we’ve swapped that for tastier chicken broth. A half cup of grits cooked in 1 1/2 cups of broth. The grist are then set aside to stay warm and thicken just a little bit.
A pound of ground breakfast sausage is cooked in a dutch oven, stirred and broken up along the way, until cooked through and with a couple browned & crispy bits. Cream of potato soup, a can of creamed corn, and milk are stirred in to form the base of the soup. Then we season it was some Cajun spice for a bit of kick & depth.
Then we add the cooked grits, and here’s also where personal preference comes into play. I like a bit of a thicker chowder. See how yours comes together, and if you’d like a thinner consistency add a splash of milk or cream. Simmer the chowder over low heat, about 10 minutes, or until the mixture’s not just heated through but hot like any good soup should be served. Ladle into bowls, and serve topped with shredded cheddar and a side of crisp toast.
Who knew using grits in an ‘untraditional’ manner, shoot adding them to a soup, could yield such a filling and yummy chowder. A pot of Sausage & Grits Chowder is the thing you want bubbling away on the stove on a cold, Winter’s night.
Other Fun Non-Traditional Breakfast Ideas To Try:
- Three Cheese Grits Casserole
- Slow Cooker Breakfast Soup
- Coconut Cream Pie Donuts
- Monte Cristo Style Breakfast Sliders
- Cherry French Toast Bake
- Apple Cheesecake Breakfast Quesadillas
If you’ve tried this SAUSAGE AND GRITS CHOWDER, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Sausage & Grits Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausage
- 2 cans Cream of Potato soup
- 1 14.75 oz can cream corn
- 3 cups milk
- 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 cup quick grits
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of broth to a boil. Stir in 1/2 cup of quick grits. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes, until grits are done, stirring often.
- Brown sausage over medium-high heat in a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven. Stir in Cream of Potato soup, cream corn, 2 1/2 cups milk and cajun seasoning. Stir in cooked grits. If soup is too thick, add more milk. Simmer over low heat until heated through, approximately 10 minutes.
- Serve with toast & shredded cheddar cheese for garnishing.
Notes
recipe & pics updated 1/8/2019
I am ashamed to admit that as a northerner (who has only been in the south 6 years) I have never tried grits. In fact, I think the most I recall them ever mentioned growing up was in the movie “My Cousin Vinny” hahaha.
I may have to change that, however. Your recipe and photos look delicious! 🙂
I was born & raised south of the Mason Dixon & staunchly REFUSED to eat grits growing up. It wasn’t until my Italian husband from Pittsburgh guilt-ed me into at least giving them a taste that I realized I loved them. Of course, it helped that they were always drowned in butter or cheddar cheese 😉
Thanks for the compliment! This really is a perfect introductory recipe since the grits aren’t the foremost texture or taste in the recipe. Let me know what you think if you give it a try.
I plan on it! And I’m having a good chuckle about them being drowned in butter or cheese. That’s my kind of dish! 😉
Love it! Thanks for joining the party this week and I hope to see you lots in the future. I have 1 teenage son; I can only imagine feeding 3 more of him plus my husband and me!!! So happy to have found your wonderful & friendly-spirited blog. Plus who does not love grits with sausage? Mmmmmm!
Sausage and grits, what an interesting idea! I love sausage!! Thanks for bringing this to the fiesta and have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Pleased to meet you, Meaghan. I have a very good friend, who also spells her name the same as you do. She told me it is a very rare Irish spelling.
I never had grits, but I love creamy chowder. I shall have a cup at FF # 19! 🙂 Fae.
grits? hmmm… seeing as they have butter and sausage they must be good! never tried em..
Ooh this looks good. I spend a lot of time in Atlanta and I’ve had grits a few times, but I always find them a bit too much in my mouth to eat much of it, less butter sounds like a good idea to me!
Love grits…always have, always will, and now you’ve managed to make ’em look even more inviting! Yum. Thanks for sharing at the #partyontheporch. I look forward to trying your recipe. Blessings, D@TheShadyPorch
what kind of sausage? breakfast sausage? italian sausage?
We just used plain country style ground sausage, but you can also use Italian style, and just squeeze it out of the casings, breaking it up as it cooks.