Easy Shrimp and Grits in the Ninja Foodi

Shrimp and grits are one of those dishes that once you start craving them it's a matter of time before you have to have them.

I have been putting my Ninja Foodi to the test lately with some dinner recipes and cooking this Shrimp and Grits recipe should be a fun experiment.

I’m excited to learn and to show how versatile this device can be.

There is something so delicious about making cheesy grits and enjoying them alongside perfectly cooked shrimp.

Although I hadn't considered making this recipe in my Instant Pot I am sure it could be slightly adjusted for any pressure cooker.

This recipe is so much more elegant than the Frozen Deep Dish Pizza we recently cooked in the Ninja Foodi.

If you’ve had restaurant-quality shrimp and grits, you know that there is a balance of flavors that is unmistakably wonderful. Repeating the dish at home for Sunday dinner is much easier than you would think.

I basically had all of the ingredients on hand. The shrimp were from Costco and stashed in my freezer. The grits were a box of quick grits in the pantry. Butter, cheese, and some spices, and a few random flavor items from the refrigerator round out the list of ingredients.

As far as comfort food goes, and shrimp recipes,  it really doesn’t get much simpler than this.

Preparing the dish happens in a few phases. 

Half a red bell pepper and one medium shallot get diced. Put them into the pressure cooker pot with a couple of tablespoons of butter.

Using the saute function on the Ninja Foodi, sweat the veggies and add a tablespoon of diced garlic after about two minutes of cooking. 

When the veggies sweat down I add ½ cup of white wine and allow it to deglaze the veggies a bit, but feel free to use chicken broth if you prefer. Add a few pinches of finely ground black pepper and set aside.

Cook the shrimp next. 

Remove the shells and make sure to pat them dry on a stack of paper towels. The first batch of shrimp go into the air fryer simply seasoned with the AP rub. Using the crisping lid, air fry and cook for 5 minutes at 390F in the crisp basket. Cook the second batch shortly thereafter and set aside.

One fun thing about Ninja Foodi recipes is that you can switch from cooking method to cooking method. Having an electric pressure cooker that also allows you to make deep-fried quality foods is a real bonus.

To make the grits, make sure your cooking pot is clean. Then add the bell pepper, garlic, and shallot-wine mixture back to the pot. Set the saute function to high and add an additional 3.5 cups of water. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add one cup of grits and stir immediately. 

Add about a cup of cheese and stir to make sure there are no clumps or lumps.

Once boiling, make sure to reduce the heat so that you don’t get boiling cheese grits spattering and potentially burning you. Cook for 10 minutes or until the grits are well cooked. 

You often see a shrimp and grits recipe where the grits take close to an hour to cook in a large skillet. I think this is a waste of time. Grits can also be made ahead of time and reheated in a skillet, convection oven, microwave, or air fryer. 

To plate the dish, carefully scoop some of the grits into a bowl. Be very careful as they will be extremely hot and can burn your skin as quickly as they can burn the roof of your mouth.

Arrange the cooked shrimp on top of the grits and garnish with a few squirts of lemon juice to make the flavors pop.

These cheesy grits would be delicious with roasted chicken and would be yummy to dip french fries in too.

Cheesy grits are not an everyday dish. But every once in a while they are delicious comfort food your guests will enjoy.