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Cheesy Grits and Roasted Vegetable Skillet

Name: Cheesy Grits and Roasted Vegetable Skillet
Prep time: 1 h 6 min
Total time: 1 h 6 min
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: zucchini — 200 g; summer squash — 200 g; red bell pepper — 100 g; red onion — 110 g; olive oil — 41 g; smoked paprika — 3 g; salt — 5 g; black pepper — 3 g; garlic — 9 g; vegetable broth — 946 g; stone-ground grits — 237 g; unsalted butter — 27 g; sharp white cheddar — 227 g; scallions — 300 g

Cheesy Grits and Roasted Vegetable Skillet reads richness 5.1, umami 4.4 and salinity 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Southern main, about 1 hr 6 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.3 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.1 · Umami 4.4 · Salinity 4.0 · Sweetness 4.0 · Allium 3.4 · Smoke 2.2 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Fruity 2.1 · Nutty 1.7 · Bitterness 1.7 · Earthy 1.7 · Funk & Ferment 1.6 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Sourness 1.0 · Citrus 1.0 · Floral 1.0 · Heat 0.8

What's in it (14)

zucchini — 200 g
summer squash — 200 g
red bell pepper — 100 g
red onion — 110 g
olive oil — 41 g
smoked paprika — 3 g
salt — 5 g
black pepper — 3 g
garlic — 9 g
vegetable broth — 946 g
stone-ground grits — 237 g
unsalted butter — 27 g
sharp white cheddar — 227 g
scallions — 300 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 6 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 50.5 kcal, 1.5 g protein, 1.2 g fat, 11.1 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

Preheat the oven to 450 F. On a rimmed sheet pan, toss the zucchini, squash, bell pepper, and onion with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the smoked paprika, and half the salt and pepper.
Roast the vegetables until the edges are charred and they're tender, 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Meanwhile, in a large oven-safe skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Pour in the broth and the remaining salt, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
Whisking constantly, pour in the grits in a steady stream. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently so they don't clump or scorch on the bottom, until thick, creamy, and tender, 35-40 minutes, adding a splash more broth or water if they thicken before they're fully tender.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the butter and three-quarters of the cheddar until smooth and fully melted; season with the remaining black pepper and more salt to taste.
Spoon the roasted vegetables evenly over the grits and scatter the remaining cheddar on top.
Broil 6 inches from the heat until the cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 2-3 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn.
Scatter the scallions over the top and serve hot, straight from the skillet.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Sheet-Pan Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash — American
Maque Choux Succotash Skillet — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Minestrone — Italian
Sheet Pan Shakshuka with Sausage — Middle Eastern
Puchero Criollo — Argentine

Keep reading: what richness, umami, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.