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Low Country Grits with Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms

This delicious recipe was created by Food Network Chef Ben Vaughn. Chef Ben has owned numerous restaurants in Memphis and Atlanta, and he enjoys teaching others about food and the restaurant business.

He brings a whole new class to Southern comfort food.

I love the flavors of the South. I’ll eat pimento cheese sandwiched between fried green tomatoes any day of the week.

Chef Ben is able to transform the simple heart and soul of the South into high-end cuisine. It looks beautiful and complex, but it still tastes like the familiar comfort food I love.

He’s also a trip. He has a fun sense of humor that has me cracking up every time I talk to him. His playfulness spills onto the plate. He’s not afraid to make his own pop rocks or add duck fat to chocolate cake.

Low Country Grits with Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms

Low Country Grits with Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms

Chef Ben has teamed up with Zestuous. He has offered to share some of his recipes, so I can pass them onto you. This is quite a treat.

I’m excited to work with him and to create his tastes of the South, and I’m thankful that he is allowing me to share them with you, so you, too, can taste these fantastic flavors.

The first recipe is Low Country Grits with Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms. I love grits. I’ll eat them with sugar or cheese, and I love them with shrimp.

Grits

First chef tip in this recipe is to use whole cracked grits. I found Red Mill’s Southern Style White Corn Grits at Whole Foods. Use this type of grits instead of the yellow polenta-style grits. And please don’t use instant. You want grits with a little texture.

After preparing your grits, you’ll mix in a variety of cheeses, including pimento cheese. I make my own Pimento Cheese. There’s almost always a batch in my fridge.

Next, chef mixes in two egg whites. I was puzzled by this addition, so I asked chef why egg whites?

He said it creates body, texture and stability and keeps all the fat from the cheese and butter from separating. Genius!

The grits have to be slightly cool when mixing in the eggs, so they don’t scramble. The heat should cook the eggs slightly, but if you’re worried about raw eggs, you can buy the refrigerated pasteurized egg whites.

Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms top these creamy, cheesy grits. I used baby bellas, Italian brown mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.

You can mix your mushrooms or just buy your favorite seasonal variety. The flavor is great. They have just enough acid from the vinegar and a real earthy loveliness from the thyme and the natural umami flavor that seasonal mushrooms offer.

Low Country Grits with Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms and Tabasco Grilled Shrimp

This dish is great on it’s own, but if you want to add a little protein, I’ve developed a recipe for Tabasco Grilled Shrimp to accompany the recipe. It has complementing flavors found in Chef Ben’s recipe, and is ready in minutes.

5 from 1 vote

Low Country Grits with Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms

Seasonal roasted mushrooms top these creamy, cheesy low country grits. I used baby bellas, Italian brown mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

Low Country Grits

  • 1 1/2 cups dry grits, whole cracked
  • 3 cups half and half
  • 1 cup water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 8- oz package cream cheese
  • 1 cup pimento cheese
  • 1 cup gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
  • 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
  • 2 egg whites

Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms

  • 3 cups seasonal mushrooms, rough chop
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons white wine
  • kosher salt and black cracked pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Place all the ingredients in a large pot and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often. The grits are done when they have are the consistency of oatmeal.
  • Fold the butter, cream cheese, pimento cheese, Swiss cheese and Tabasco sauce into the grits, until melted.
  • Still off the heat, after you have cooled the mixture by folding in the cheeses, butter and Tabasco add the 2 egg whites. Make sure the grits and cheese mixture is cooled sufficiently before adding the egg whites. If the mixture is too warm, it will scramble the eggs.

Seasonal Roasted Mushrooms

  • Heat the oven to 475° F. In a medium bowl, toss the mushrooms with olive oil, thyme, vinegar and white wine to coat generously. Then, add salt and pepper to taste. Turn the mushrooms out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  • Roast the mushrooms until brown on the bottom, 15-20 minutes. Flip and continue to roast until browned on the top, 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Spoon over the Low Country Three Cheese Grits and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 713kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 17gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 730mgPotassium: 474mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1705IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 489mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Show off your awesome results on social by tagging @zestuous

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Christie Vanover

About Zestuous

Hi. I’m Christie, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and have dozens of top ten category finishes. People know me as the girl who is forever hovering over a grill, smoker or campfire with tongs in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.


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14 Comments

  1. This recipe sounds amazing! Love the use of a variety of mushrooms and the shrimp pairing is perfect. Thanks for sharing…

    -Shannon

    1. Kim,
      Congratulations!!! You are the winner of the 2 free tickets to Chef Unplugged. I sent you an email. Please respond and we’ll coordinate the details.

  2. This looks mouthwatering! I’ve only ever had grits once when I was in 2nd grade and my mom made me bring them to school for “bring a unique dish to school day” (or something of the sort)…grits were not a staple growing up in California – now I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you! (PS. your giveaway sounds awesome – I wish I lived closer to Chicago!)

    1. I love that your mom introduced you to different foods early on. If Chef Ben makes it out west, I’ll let you know.

  3. Christie!! This sounds and looks aahhhhhhmazing!! OMG!! I love grits, too (duh, South Carolina!!) and the mushrooms are fabulous! Yeppers, I’m pinning! xo

    1. Thanks darlin’. Can you imagine a Chef Unplugged with you, me, Beth, Heather and both Bens. Too fun!