This grits casserole recipe with sausage and cheese skips the eggs most versions call for and leans on a Southern trick instead: a mixture of half-and-half and water instead of using water alone. It’s baked with sharp cheddar, browned pork sausage, and a good bit of cream cheese stirred right into the grits, which is what gives it that thick, almost custardy texture without a single egg in the mix. You bake it once until the cheese is melty and the grits are firm, and it comes out creamy all the way through instead of dry around the edges. This is the kind of dish that feeds a crowd without asking much of you the morning of.
I started making this for our church’s praise team. They get to the building early every Sunday to practice before anyone else shows up, and I wanted to feed them well as a small way of saying thank you for all the work they put into leading us in worship. I needed something that would sit on a warming tray for a while and still taste like it just came out of the oven, and this grits casserole is exactly that. Using a mixture of half-and-half and water instead of just water is the part I always tell people about, since it makes the grits so much creamier than you’d expect. I serve it with a big bowl of fruit salad on the side and call it a full breakfast.
Main Ingredients Needed For Grits Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Cheese
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
- Ground pork sausage: This is what gives the casserole its savory base. Regular sausage keeps it mild enough for a crowd, but if your group likes a little heat, spicy sausage works just as well here.
- Half-and-half: This is the one I always tell people about when they ask what makes my grits so creamy. Swapping half-and-half in for some of the water is what takes plain grits to something worth going back for seconds on.
- Quick-cooking grits: These are what give the casserole its texture and body. Stick with quick-cooking, not instant, since they hold up better once baked.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: This is what makes it a cheese grits casserole, not just a grits casserole. I always shred my own off a block instead of grabbing the bag, since pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking coating on it that keeps it from melting quite as smoothly.
- Cream cheese: This is doing the job eggs usually do in a lot of grits casseroles. It’s what holds everything together and gives it that rich, slightly tangy finish. Let it sit out until it’s fully at room temperature and cut it into small cubes before you stir it in. Cold cream cheese in cold cubes won’t melt in evenly.
How To Make Grits Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Cheese
This one comes together in three easy stages: cook, mix, and layer, so here’s exactly what each part should look like along the way.
Variations on This Grits Casserole Recipe
This grits casserole recipe with sausage and cheese is easy to make your own once you’ve got the base down.
- If you like a little heat, stir in some diced cowboy candy for a sweet and spicy kick, or swap the sharp cheddar for pepper jack if you want the heat built into every bite instead.
- Sautéed onions and green peppers stirred in with the sausage add a little more texture and color if you’re feeding a crowd that likes vegetables mixed in.
- And if you’re looking for a lighter version, turkey sausage works just as well as pork here, and I’ve made it that way plenty of times when I wanted something a little less rich.
Questions When Making Grits Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Cheese
Yes, you can use regular grits instead of quick-cooking, but they will need more time on the stove, closer to 25 to 30 minutes instead of the 10 to 12 minutes quick-cooking grits take. Give them the extra time so they have a chance to fully soften before you move on to assembling the casserole.
Yes, you can use milk or a plant-based milk in place of the half-and-half, though the casserole will not be quite as rich and creamy. The half-and-half is really what gives this recipe its signature texture, so keep that in mind if you swap it out.
A few things can cause this. Not cooking the grits long enough is the most common culprit, since they need time to soften and fully absorb the liquid. Using too much liquid for the amount of grits, or cooking over heat that’s too high, can also leave you with excess water that the grits never get the chance to absorb. Skipping the resting time after baking can leave things looser too, since that rest is part of what lets everything firm up.
Yes, I’ve doubled this before for a bigger group, and it’s best to split it between two 9×13 casserole dishes rather than trying to bake it all in one. That gives the casserole enough room to bake evenly all the way through.
Grits Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork sausage, regular or spicy
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup quick-cooking grits
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded; shred from a block for best melting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, block style, room temperature, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Baking Dish
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lightly spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook the Sausage
- Cook the ground pork sausage in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.1 pound ground pork sausage
- Drain the grease and set the sausage aside.
Cook the Grits
- Heat the water and half-and-half in a medium saucepan until boiling.2 1/4 cups water, 2 cups half-and-half
- Stir in the salt, then whisk in the grits, stirring briskly to prevent clumps.1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 cup quick-cooking grits
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking, until the grits are tender. Placing a lid on the pot cuts down on stovetop splatter.
Assemble the Casserole
- Stir half of the cooked sausage, half of the shredded cheddar, the cream cheese, and the black pepper into the cooked grits until well combined.1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheddar over the top, followed by the remaining sausage.
Bake the Casserole
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil; this helps keep the casserole from drying out.
- Bake for 25 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the grits are firm.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- Make Ahead: This casserole can be assembled the night before. Layer everything through the sausage and cheese on top, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Bake straight from the fridge the next day; it will need about 15 extra minutes of bake time since it’s starting cold.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Reheating: Scoop your leftovers into an oven-safe dish, adding 1/4 cup of half-and-half for every 2 cups of casserole to moisten it back up. Cover with foil and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Stir and serve.
- Freezing: This casserole is not recommended for freezing.
- Doubling: This recipe can be doubled. Split it between two 9×13 casserole dishes instead of baking it all in one for the most even results.
- Variations: Stir in diced cowboy candy for a sweet and spicy kick, or swap the sharp cheddar for pepper jack for built-in heat. Sautéed onions and green peppers add texture if you’re feeding a crowd. For a lighter version, turkey sausage works well in place of pork.
Tried this recipe?
Please consider Leaving a Review!Showing Hospitality with Grits Casserole
A Country Breakfast Brunch is such an easy way to open your home, and this grits casserole can be the centerpiece of the whole table. I like to keep it simple with a red check tablecloth, white plates, and mason jars for coffee or orange juice. It feels warm and welcoming before anyone even sits down.
Add a basket of flaky biscuits tucked into a cloth napkin, a bowl of fruit salad, and a pan of apple pie cinnamon rolls or coffee cake. It looks like you fussed over breakfast all morning, even though most of the work was done while the casserole baked.
This is the kind of breakfast where people pour another cup of coffee and stay at the table a little longer. And to me, that is one of the sweetest parts of hospitality. You do not need a special occasion, just a simple meal and people you are glad to have around your table.