As someone who grew up part time in the south, it’s probably unheard of for me to say that I never was a fan of grits. That is, of course, until I discovered cheesy shrimp and grits! At work this week a fellow foodie friend was talking about what she was planning to make for an event at her church this coming weekend, and one of those things was cheesy shrimp and grits with a bechamel cheese sauce and andouille sausage. Yum, yum and YUM.

So of course, me being me, I knew I had to devise some way to adapt it to be keto and low-carb friendly! Luckily for me, shrimp was on sale this week at Kroger, so I knew I was in business.

There are lots of things to love about this recipe, but one thing I don’t love is that you have to have three pots/skillets going, virtually at the same time. But trust me, the end result is 100% worth it!

Shrimp and Cheesy Cauli-grits with Andouille Sausage

Serves: 7

Nutrition information: Calories 298, Fat 23g, Protein 15g, Carbohydrates 6g, Fiber 2g, Net carb 4g

CHEESE SAUCE

2 T butter

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I used a 3-cheese blend including cheddar and mozzarella)

1/4 cup cream cheese (I used the Philadelphia brand garden veggie flavor for a little fun!)

CAULI-GRITS

24 oz riced cauliflower

2 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes (I use kKnorr extra large cubes – you can also use better than bouillon )

1/2 T dried parsley flakes

dash of pepper

SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE

1 lb peeled shrimp (I peel everything but the tails!)

4 oz thinly sliced andouille sausage

1.5 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 t badia complete seasoning (you can use any kind of complete seasoning or any italian seasoning blend)

2 t minced garlic (fresh or from a jar)

1 t air-dried shallots

dash of salt

Start your Cauli-grits

HEAT 2 cups of water and bouillon cubes in a skillet until simmering/boiling over medium high heat until bouillon is dissolved.

ADD riced cauliflower. This can be fresh on frozen. If frozen, no need to completely defrost, simply take it out of the freezer a few minutes before cooking and break it up well before putting it into the broth.

SPRINKLE with pepper and reduce heat to medium low.

SIMMER for about 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t burn. The cauliflower should absorb all of the liquid by the end. Add a little extra water if needed.

While the Cauli-Grits Simmer, prep your cheese sauce:

MELT your butter and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium low heat in until butter is melted.

ADD cream cheese and stir until melted and combined.

STIR in your cheddar cheese blend and it should melt quickly.

REMOVE from heat and set aside.

Cook your shrimp and sausage:

HEAT butter and oil over medium heat until melted.

SPRINKLE a little salt over your shrimp while you wait for the butter to melt.

ADD shallots, seasonings and garlic and give it a stir.

IMMEDIATELY ADD shrimp, cooking on one side for 2 minutes.

FLIP shrimp over cook for another 2 minutes

STIR in sausage, raising the heat to medium high, and stir, cooking for another 1-2 minutes. The sausage should heat up quickly.

REMOVE from heat.

Put it all together:

POUR cheese sauce over cauli-grits and combine well.

ADD parsley flakes and mix well.

SPOON cauli-grits into a bowl

TOP with shrimp/sausage and a little extra parsley if desired.