featured-image

No shade to and cornbread, but grits are the epitome of Southern side dishes. Grits is a creamy porridge dish sourced from finely ground corn with a texture like hot cereal. Grits is often topped with a square of butter, a dollop of gravy, or, most indulgently, cheese.

Of course, it's no secret that cheese comes in many shapes, sizes, and flavors, and the variety you introduce to a batch of grits determines the outcome of the final product. Although there are dozens of great cheeses to add to a bowl of grits, pimento cheese is one of the most complex and mouth-watering selections. Plain-cooked grits has a mild-mannered and one-dimensional flavor, which makes it a perfect culinary canvas for painting with flavors from added ingredients.



Pimento cheese is a dense, pâté-esque spread made with shredded cheddar, pimento peppers, and mayonnaise. Although it's commonly used as a dip for crackers, adding it to a heaping batch of grits introduces a comforting layer of melty, decadent richness to the dish. Its sharp, tangy flavor gives the grits depth while its fatty texture blends seamlessly with the creamy, whipped consistency of the meal.

Despite originating in New York, pimento cheese is a staple in Southern cooking, making it not only a tasty option for zhuzhing up grits but an apt one, too. Flavorful, lush, and quintessentially Southern — what's not to love about adding some comforting, flavor-forward pimento cheese to grits? Tips for preparing pimento cheese grits Making g.

Back to Food Page