Veggie Grits Casserole with Mesquite Smoked Spicy Pork Chops

Veggie Grits Casserole with Spicy Pork Chops

This is a ‘clean out your refrigerator’ type casserole dish. Usually at the end of the week, I make a dish that uses up leftover veggies or meats, or cheeses. Sometimes it is macaroni with leftover meat and leftover cheese and sometimes it is just a veggie casserole. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever is available in your frig. Since I had a handful of different type veggies, I decided a cheesy grits casserole would be the perfect background to a vegetable medley.
Here it is paired with a mesquite smoked spicy pork chop.

Veggie Grits Casserole

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup red onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper seeded and chopped

2 ears of corn, shucked and kernels removed from the cob

1 cup green beans, chopped

2 cups of green cabbage, thinly sliced

¾ cup quick grits

3 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 ½ cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and red bell pepper and sauté until translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Add the corn, green beans, and cabbage and sauté until the cabbage has wilted, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a medium saucepan heat the water and the chicken bouillon on high until it boils, add the grits and reduce heat to medium-low and cover for about 5-7 minutes. Add the grits, cheese, and butter to the sautéed veggies. Remove from heat and toss well. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Mesquite Smoked Spicy Pork Chop

1 cup of soaked mesquite wood chips (soak for about an hour)

Charcoal

6 pork chops

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Chili powder

Brown sugar

Light a charcoal grill. When the coals are an ash color add the mesquite chips and spread out the coals. Paint both sides of the pork chops with olive oil. Salt & Pepper to taste then sprinkle both sides with the chili powder then the brown sugar. Grill the pork chops about 6 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Serve with the Veggie Grits Casserole.

Serves 6