I’ve never met a grits dish that I didn’t like. So when thinking about a dish to round out my menu when having some friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, I thought of grits. The thing is, for folks who didn’t grow up eating them, grits can be off-putting (I have NO idea why). Just as perplexing is that many of these same people claim to like polenta (which for all intents and purposes is the same thing). So, for my dinner attendees, I called this “mushroom smothered polenta.” (They loved it by the way). But between you and me? These are grits. Wonderful, creamy, flavor intensive grits–smothered in mushrooms, onions, garlic, and a wee bit of beer. Heck to the yeah!

Mushroom Smothered Grits

(Printable Recipe)

Mushroom Ingredients:

1/2 small red onion–sliced

2 cloves garlic–minced

8 oz. sliced white (or Cremini) mushrooms

1/4 cup beer

dash dried thyme

salt

pepper

olive oil

Mushroom Method:

*Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add onion, dash salt, and dash pepper. Saute ~5 minutes. Add garlic. Saute ~5 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme. Saute until mushrooms are soft. Add beer. And cook until the liquid reduces by about half (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Grits Ingredients:

1/4 cup beer

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or margarine/butter)

salt

pepper

1/3 cup old fashioned grits

Grits Method:

*Add beer, broth, water, milk, Earth Balance, dash salt, dash pepper to medium sauce pan. Heat over high until boiling (watch!!!! so the liquid doesn’t boil over all over your stove. Ahem…).

*Once boiling, whisk in grits and turn heat to low. Cover saucepan. Cook until grits are tender (approx. 15-20 min.), stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning before serving.

*To serve, spoon grits into bowl. Top with mushrooms. Enjoy!