If your goal is a crowd-pleasing dish then this Bacon and Grits Casserole is the only meal you’ll need to win over everyone with its creamy cheesy goodness.
When I think of summertime I think of sunny sweltering days, fresh squeezed icy lemonade, backyard bar-be-ques, and relaxing. And here I am summer dreaming only to realize it’s now June and summer is upon us. Cue the crowds and long summer night get-togethers.
What better way to feed a crowd than a casserole? I am indeed speaking from life experience as a born and bred Alabamian where church, football, and fried/bar-be-cued, and casserole-type food are prominent. And if you add grits to one such casserole, well then you’ve likely just won the blue-ribbon at your church pot-luck! Amen!
But let’s not dedicate casseroles, especially breakfast ones, to only Summer crowds because we would be missing out on life and that’s plain and simple a sin.
Right? I mean, they are generally filled with yummy goodness, in other words rarely healthy (aka the best) ingredients, and last forever! You can obviously feed a crowd with them or just keep your family (yourself) happy for a week of food. So why not enjoy them all year long?
And if you’re here today and looking for a crowd pleaser (that is why you’re here, right?) then it doesn’t get any better than combining bacon, grits and cheese to form one delicious casserole dish.
I’m giving you a breakfast, brunch or just go for it dinner casserole, there’s no judgment here, not around the breakfast/dinner table, that is perfect for feeding those in a group setting.
The ingredients are all pretty simple: grits, butter, milk, broth, herbs, and cheese.
This bacon and grits casserole is a creamy cheesy delightful dish of happiness that you should include in your life. After all the end goal is to be happy right? Er, something like that… Let’s all spread some happiness though and make this dish.
And if you must be all healthy with your casseroles I do have this Turkey & Egg Breakfast Casserole, which to date is literally, in the most literal sense, my most popular recipe, on the site and at home ?
Ingredients
- 6 cups Milk
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 cups Stone Ground Grits
- 1 cup Butter
- 4 large Eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 teaspoons Dill
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
- 1½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup Shredded Gruyere Cheese
- 8 slices Bacon cooked and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease either a 9×13 or 10×15-inch baking dish lightly.
- Combine 4 cups of milk plus the 2 cups of chicken broth in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until milk begins to boil. Pour the grits and butter into the mixture and reduce the heat to simmer. Whisk continuously, uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until the grits begin to thicken.
- Remove the grits mixture from the heat and pour the remaining 2 cups of milk into the pot, stirring to cool it down. Add the eggs, red pepper flakes, dill, thyme, and cheddar cheese.
- Pour the grits mixture into the greased 9×13 or 10×15-inch baking dish and sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese and gruyere cheese on top. Bake, uncovered for 45 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble.
- Remove from oven and spread the bacon and some additional thyme on top.
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