Shrimp And Grits For One

Indulge in a classic taste of the South with our single serving Shrimp and Grits recipe, a luxurious combination of creamy, cheesy grits and buttery, succulent shrimp. Ready in just 20 minutes, this dish is a quick and delicious way to enjoy traditional Southern comfort food. We’ve enhanced this traditional comfort food by adding extra cheese and butter to the grits for a richer texture. The shrimp is cooked with onions, garlic, and sweet red bell peppers, offering a blend of savory and sweet in every bite.

this Recipe

What Are Shrimp And Grits?

Shrimp and grits began as a simple dish in South Carolina and was called breakfast shrimp.

There are really just two main parts to a good shrimp and grits recipe. First, it’s got to have shrimp. Second, it’s made with grits. After that, the dish really depends on the cook and the recipe. You’ll find shrimp and grits recipes that call for using pork like bacon or ham, mushrooms are common, and sometimes the grits may not contain cheese. There are no hard and fast rules and because of that, the ways to customize this dish are endless.

For our single-serving version, I used our cheese grits recipe and cooked up some shrimp in butter and garlic, along with onions and peppers, and spooned them over the hot grits – the result is simply heavenly!

What Are Grits? Grits are made from ground white corn or hominy and are a staple food in the Southern United States. They are often served as a breakfast dish, a side dish, or as part of a main course, as in this shrimp and grits recipe.

Is Polenta The Same As Grits? Polenta is an Italian version of grits. It’s made from cornmeal which gives it a different flavor and texture. The two look similar which causes some confusion, but they are not really the same.

Why This Recipe Works

• Loaded with flavor: This shrimp and cheesy grits are sinfully delicious. The grits are creamy, cheesy, buttery, and wonderfully rich.
• Ready in minutes: It’s amazing how quickly this dish comes together. The grits cook in less than 10 minutes and the shrimp takes less than that. It’s a wonderful meal to make on any busy weeknight.
• Recipe doubles well: This recipe yields one generous bowl of the best shrimp and grits. If you’d like to make a second bowl, just double the ingredient amounts.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

This section provides a quick rundown of the ingredients used in this recipe. For complete measurements and step-by-step instructions, please scroll to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.

• Stone-ground grits: The best grits to use when making shrimp and grits is coarsely ground grits or stone-ground grits. The brands of grits I often use only take between 8 to 10 minutes to cook. Depending on the brand of grits you use, the cooking time may be longer. Be sure to read the directions on the package you purchase. I use House Autry White Stone Ground Grits or Bob’s Red Mill White Corn Grits.
• Milk and water: Use any percentage of cow’s milk and water to make the grits.
• Seasonings: Use garlic powder, smoked paprika, and kosher salt in the grits. I use Diamond Crystal brand of kosher salt.
• Butter: Use salted butter when making the grits and also when cooking the shrimp.
• Cheese: I love using shredded cheddar cheese in this dish but I also enjoy making cheesy grits with Gruyère which melts beautifully. I recommend shredding your own cheese rather than purchasing bagged pre-shredded cheese. The cheese will melt better when freshly shredded. Pre-shredded cheese contains preservatives that help to keep the shreds of cheese from clumping in the bag. This means that the cheese doesn’t melt as well.
• Shrimp: If you live along a coast where you can get fresh shrimp, by all means, use that. If not, shrimp that has been frozen is fine to use.  I often purchase individually frozen, head-off, peel-on shrimp for most shrimp recipes. These bags of shrimp are found in the freezer section of most supermarkets. When you are cooking for one person, purchasing frozen shrimp can be the most economical way to buy shrimp.
• Vegetables: Use chopped onions, chopped red bell peppers, and a clove of garlic.
• Lemon juice: A squeeze of a fresh lemon adds a burst of freshness to the dish.

This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.

How To Make Shrimp And Grits For One

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

1. Cook the grits. Mix the milk, water, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a 1-quart saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Stir in the grits and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grits become soft and thick. Remove the pan from the heat.

3. Stir in the butter and cheese.

Pro Tip: Grits will thicken as they cool. If they are thicker than you like, stir in a few teaspoons of water or milk.

4. Cook the shrimp. Melt butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 minutes until the onions are translucent.
5. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 30 seconds.

6. Season the shrimp with salt and black pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook on one side for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over and cook the other side for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the shrimp and vegetables.

7. Assemble. Pour the cheese grits into a bowl.

8. Pour the cooked shrimp, the vegetables, and the buttery sauce over the grits. Grits are best served immediately.

Expert Tips

• Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section of the post and gather your ingredients. Shrimp and Grits come together quickly so it’s a good idea to have everything ready before beginning. Although this dish is easy to make, you might have questions about the process and many of your questions may be answered in the Ingredient Notes section and from the process photos and pro tips above. 
• If you’d like to use bacon in this recipe, cook the bacon first and use the bacon drippings instead of butter to cook the vegetables and then the shrimp.
• Make the grits cheesy. Cheese adds a richness to the grits that you won’t want to miss out on. Mix it in at the very end along with the butter.
• Don’t skip the lemon juice. Shrimp with cheese grits is a very rich dish and the small addition of lemon juice helps to cut the richness and adds a burst of freshness.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Single Serving Southern Recipes

• Crawfish Etouffée
• Mini Hummingbird Cake
• Mini Chess Pie
• Biscuit with Gravy
• Hush Puppies
• Shrimp Creole
• Seafood Gumbo
• Jambalaya