Italian Sausage with Cheddar Grits and Cherry Tomatoes Topped with Fried Egg

I'm not a huge breakfast person or I should say, I don't like eating early in the morning.  After 10:00am is when I start getting hungry for breakfast.  Usually on Sundays, after church, we go out for brunch.  Now that we are watching church from our couch and restaurants are closed I've had to step up my game this Sunday to make a hearty delicious brunch, something a little different.  I'm blogging the recipe minutes after I've eaten because it's easy, delicious and took about 30 minutes.  Now that's a keeper!!

Ingredients (serves 4 large portions)

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS:



3 cups, water
3 tablespoon butter
1/2 + 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup quick-cooking grits (or regular grits *)
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage  (casings removed if using links)
1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
10 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tablespoons chopped jarred sweet cherry peppers, plus 1 tablespoon brine
¾ cup beef broth
Serve sprinkled with thinly sliced scallions
4 eggs

1.  Bring water, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to boiling in a saucepan over high heat.  Whisk in grits.  Cover, reduce heat to low, cook, whisking occasionally until grits are cooked through 5-7 minutes for quick cooking and *20-25 for regular grits.  Turn off heat and stir in cheddar.  Set aside and cover to keep warm.

2.  While the grits are cooking, cook sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat until sausage is cooked through and onion is lightly browned 7-8 minutes, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon.  With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage and onion to a bowl, set aside.  Pour off most of the fat from skillet.

3.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cook until starting to brown, about 3 minutes.  Stir in peppers another 2 minutes.  Add broth, pepper brine and reserved sausage mixture to skillet and cook 3 minutes to heat through.

4. In another skillet fry eggs over medium. (or however you like your eggs)

5. In individual bowls serve sausage over cheesy grits and top with eggs.
                                                             
   **Recipe adapted from Cook's Country Magazine                                                 

Here's the ingredient list to serve 2

1 1/2 cups, water
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2.5 oz (a little over 1/3 cup) quick-cooking grits (or regular grits *)
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/2 pound (or 2 links) sweet Italian sausage  (casings removed if using links)
1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
5 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped jarred sweet cherry peppers, plus 1/2 tablespoon brine
1/3 cup beef broth
Serve sprinkled with thinly sliced scallions
4 eggs