Southern-Style Shrimp and Grits Recipe

Most shrimp that shows up on restaurant menus is either breaded and fried or sautéed in a bath of melted butter—which isn't the best for your waistline if you're looking to lose weight. Luckily, you don't have to give up this classic Southern-style dish completely! Instead, we spike sautéed shrimp with scallions, cayenne, and crispy hunks of kielbasa all over quick-cooking grits to keep the calories, amazingly enough, below 400. Compare this shrimp and grits recipe to one you'd order at a seafood restaurant, and you're definitely saving hundreds of calories and drastically lowering the sodium.

Nutrition: 340 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated), 610 mg sodium

Serves 4

You'll Need

1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup diced cooked turkey kielbasa
4 scallions, whites, and greens separated, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz fresh mushrooms (button, cremini, or shiitake), stems removed, sliced
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1⁄2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
1⁄2 cup quick-cooking grits
1⁄4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

How to Make It

1. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add the kielbasa; cook for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and mushrooms.
2. Cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and continue cooking until the shrimp are just pink and firm to the touch. Stir in the broth and cook for another 3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half and the shrimp are cooked all the way through. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
4. While the shrimp are cooking, cook the grits according to the package instructions. When they're thick and creamy, add the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
5. Divide the grits and shrimp among 4 bowls and garnish with the scallion greens.

Eat This Tip

How to Devein Shrimp

That vein people always refer to when talking about shrimp? It's actually their digestive tract. You're definitely going to want to cut it out. Here's how.

1: Peel the shell and remove the tail.
2: Make a shallow incision along the back.
3: Fish out the vein with the tip of your knife.

The easy way to make healthier comfort foods.