Parenting|

Spice Up Your Brunch With This Delicious Creole Shrimp & Grits Recipe

by Team Scary Mommy
Kerri Jones

As a Southern mama from Coastal MS, I grew up eating the best of the best Creole cuisine, flavored to perfection by my Southern mama. She taught me to be strong, to love hard, and to reach for the stars. Today, I juggle life as a mompreneur with three small kids. I own a brunch restaurant and am always finding ways to create limitless possibilities in the kitchen — I know good food! And some of the best food can be made simply with a little help from one of all our favorites, RAGÚ® sauce!

Most people think of RAGÚ® sauce as only being used for pasta dishes, and my family grew up on spaghetti and meat sauce and lasagna cooked with love my mom. But I’m here to spice up your morning with a brunch favorite — Creole shrimp & grits. With the help of RAGÚ® paired with a few Creole herbs and seasonings, you will own it in the kitchen!

Creole Shrimp & Grits

Serves 4-6

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 24-ounce jar RAGÚ® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce
  • 2 pounds medium-size raw shrimp
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1½ teaspoons Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Worcestershire sauce
  • 6 ounces (170.1 g) canned tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf

Grits Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • ¼ stick butter
  • 1 cup golden corn
  • 1 cup grits (not instant)

Instructions:

  1. Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.
  3. Stir in Creole seasoning, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
  4. Add the tomato paste and stir until it is evenly coating all of the vegetables.
  5. Slowly add in your jar of RAGÚ® Old World Style Traditional Sauce, stirring constantly to create a thick sauce.
  6. Add the bay leaf, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
  7. Add the shrimp, and cook 10 minutes.
  8. To grill the corn, lightly season with salt, pepper, and butter and roast in the oven until slightly blackened.
  9. Bring water to a boil. Add heavy cream and return to boil.
  10. Slowly whisk in the grits and then the corn.
  11. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook 5 to 6 minutes.
  12. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Thank you to Kerri Paul for sharing this delicious recipe with us!