Creamy Grits With Mushrooms and Chard
Updated June 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1cup grits, preferably organic (see Tip)
- ¼cup unsweetened oat-milk cream (or coconut, nut or soy cream)
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- ¼unpeeled yellow onion
- 1jalapeño
- 3unpeeled garlic cloves
- 1teaspoon lemon juice
- 1tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
- ⅓cup chopped cilantro
- 8ounces maitake or cremini mushrooms
- 1bunch rainbow chard
- 3tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed, avocado or canola
- Salt and pepper
- 1jalapeño
- 1cup distilled white vinegar
- 1garlic clove
- ¼yellow onion
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar or maple syrup
For the Grits
For the Sauce
For the Chard
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
351 calories; 14 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 773 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Make the grits: Cook the grits with water according to the package instructions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to ensure no grits stick to the pot. The cook time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age and quality of the grits. When the grits are tender, remove from the hot burner and pour in the oat cream, oil and salt, stir well, and cover. (If you cooked the grits with salt, then start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.) Set aside.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium. Once heated, add the onion quarter, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Char and slightly cook the vegetables, turning occasionally. The garlic will likely be done first, after 4 or 6 minutes. Place each item in a bowl when charred and cover with a lid.
- Step 3
When the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, remove the outer skin of the onion, the jalapeño stem and the garlic peels. If you are very sensitive to spice, slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove one half’s seeds and white veins to make it much milder.
- Step 4
In a blender or mini food processor, blend the onion, jalapeño and garlic with the lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to blend, 1 tablespoon at a time. Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break apart or cut at the stem into 2-inch pieces. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the jalapeño sauce on top; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Step 5
Make the chard: Place the chard shiny side down on a cutting board and slice the stems and ribs away from the green leaves. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 6
Cut the chard stems into 2-inch-long matchsticks. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the jalapeño, vinegar, garlic, onion and sugar, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chard stems and let sit, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
- Step 7
Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium, add the chard leaves and cook, using tongs to move them around quickly in order to keep their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Step 8
In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium-high heat. Shake excess sauce off the mushrooms back into the bowl; too much sauce will cause them to steam instead of sear. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook until tender and caramelized, 2 to 5 minutes per side.
- Step 9
To serve, spoon the grits onto a large platter and top with the chard, mushrooms and pickled stems.
Tip
- If using stone-ground grits, soak them overnight to create a creamier dish in less time.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
george heibel
just so complicated and so many dishes at the end. 9 steps should have been a clue. really tasty and interesting but man-oh-man this was a chore
Interesting Blend!
Really enjoyed making this dish! I thought the mushroom “sauce” was a bit overpowering (I would probably just cook them in some butter and salt next time), but really enjoyed the chard two ways and thought the mix of the three items was tasty!
jim in japan
I really wanted to like this, but somehow the whole was less than the sum of its parts. I liked the cooking method for the chard leaves and will likely use that again; likewise the chard stem pickles were fun. But despite the lovely fragrance of the mushroom sauce once it (finally) came together in my blender, I agree with another writer that a straight sauté (perhaps with chopped garlic) would yield a more satisfying result.
Vvv03
The title was tantalizing but the multi-steps and hard to find ingredients (Oat milk cream..?) made an Ottolenghi recipe look like the Joy of Cooking. It would be nice to order this at a restaurant. For now, I will take the title as inspiration to make a polenta dish with crispy sautéed mushrooms and Swiss chard.
Betsy
Made this tonight. Left out jalapeños as I can’t eat them and subbed cream and butter for oat milk cream and oil in grits. Very disappointing. A lot of work and not much flavor. Added green Tabasco and a lot of cheese. The pickled chard stems ended up in the trash. Don’t waste your time and money.
Mary Duncan
This really is complicated,yes! I did it in two days. Made the grits (polenta actually) and the pickles and prepped the chard on the first day. Finished the next evening. Enjoyed it somewhat. Saved the rest. After sitting in the fridge for a day everything improved. Now I’m really impressed. The pickles are a genius touch. Thanks!
Trigg
This is a whole lot of effort to cook and cleanup for a result that doesn't really feel worth it. If you are going to make this, season and taste as you go. I ended up needing much more salt pepper than was called for. Generally speaking, this recipe was "ok", but I feel like I would rather have avoided the sauce altogether, and sautéed that onion and jalapeño to include with the Swiss Chard, and just browned the mushrooms with some olive oil and salt, and used white wine vinegar instead.
Jenny
Fun mix of flavors and textures. I would advise less salt in the grits, however. I also limited my jalapeños to only including in the sauce and it was plenty spicy. All in all, fun and interesting! I’m glad I made it.
JGoldwoman
Obsessed with this recipe. I am eating the leftovers now & had to make a review - I love the Swiss chard both ways - with the mushrooms & sauce - so good. Didn’t have cilantro on hand so I used parsley instead! A whole jalapeño is rather much for the sauce to me. Love it will make again many times!
Baker
I’ve found once I’ve cooked this through according to the recipe, it becomes much simpler to manage. Especially if it’s be has a habit of preparing pickled onions and peppers for other weekly dishes. I used whole milk and butter rather than the coconut cream, although I think the coconut would be an improvement, cow’s milk was all I had on hand. Substitute mindfully and this is a great veggie dish!
Elva
My husband and I loved this recipe. I used quick grits that only take 5 minutes to make. The pickled and spice flavor go super well together. The creamy grits really serves this dish nicely. Would definitely make again.
Melissa
Super delicious! I will definitely be making this again - it would be awesome with collards or kale. I didn’t have a lemon, so I subbed a splash of white vinegar and it turned out great. Served with chicken breasts.
Leslie
I loved this… think it is one of the most interesting recipes you have. It was a lot of pieces, and I think next time I will make the sauce ahead, and prep the chard and make the pickle ahead. (I also do t like spicy so left that out.) then, this is a manageable recipe to make for company. It’s definitely worth making!
DNDO
While the dish was good taste wise, I have to throw my hat in with the too many steps, too many dishes. I don't feel that the result was worth the effort, thus my DNDO (Do Not Do Over) rating of this dish.
Chef Coach
You lost me when you asked for chopped cilantro to go into a food processor. That’s just bad recipe writing. That said, it tastes really good. So, there’s that.
Michele K
Don’t get me wrong the flavor composition was great and delectable. But, the recipe was overly convoluted. Who has the time or patience for such a needlessly complicated process? The end result was hardly justifying the effort put in. Any chef could achieve same result quicker and more easily by not following the prescribed method. Overall, a disappointing experience that I wouldn't recommend to anyone looking for a hassle-free meal.
julia
Great recipe that inspires the following modifications: I used polenta instead of grits and added some feta and olive tapenade to the chard then gave it a quick saute just before serving.
Leslie in KY
I'll probably try with coolapeno, which is my go-to non-spicy substitute for jalapeno. I grow them and freeze the abundance to have on hand.
Wren
I agree with others that this was tasty, but an ordeal to make. Took much longer than 1 1/2 hours. The sauce for the mushrooms was delicious and I hope to make it to augment other recipes.
BST
As others have noted, this was a LOT of steps for unremarkable results. Suggestions: 1. Instant grits - as noted by another review, a real time-saver 2. Maybe a substitute the cream in the grits for goat cheese and little thyme to amp up the flavor 3. Chard leaves would be better massaged with a very small amount of oil and roasted in the oven to make them crispy and give the dish texture 4. Mushroom - roast or sauté until brown then toss with sauce 5. Sauce - amp up flavor significantly
Shannon
I should have read the comments before embarking on this journey. This recipe was very fussy and complicated, but each element lacked flavor, with the exception of the pickled chard stems. The worst part is the mushroom sauce, which is actually delicious when it comes out of the food processor, but imparts nothing to the mushrooms as a marinade, and loses all flavor when it hits the cast iron skillet. This is the first times NYT Cooking has failed me, but this was a huge disappointment.
Erin
I liked the inventiveness of the pickled chard stems but will leave them out if I make this again. The mushrooms and the chard leaves are lovely, though.
Vegan Wanna Be
I followed recipe exactly and thought it was excellent! My carnivorous husband really like it and wants me to make it again soon! It wasn't difficult and was definitely worth the effort. There wasn't much left over, about 1 small serving. Packaged each part separately. Reheated well in microwave, each part in their separate containers; the pickled stems taken from fridge early enough to sit out and be roughly room temp (not microwaved).
Iris Arno
Not bad but too much effort for a mixed result. Instructions are confusing. We won't make this one again.
g d c
quinoa for gluten intolerant... i agree about the number of steps and pots! my italian k i s s method, evoo, garlic, mushrooms and then, as they release their yummy juices, chard (or spinach). two pots/pans is simple and quick ~ all in the time it takes for the quinoa to cook!
Audie
Grits and polenta are also gluten-free, so no need to sub quinoa unless you prefer its taste.
carol
has this been made with more traditional products - like milk or cream or half-and-half? Unsweetened oat milk cream (along with its recommended substitutions) are new to me.
Tim S
Yes, dairy cream or half and half work fine; your goal is just to make the grits creamier.
Thomas
Is grit oat or polenta?
Audrey
Grits are corn. Polenta is corn. They are cousins but can be used interchangeably.
Vvv03
The title was tantalizing but the multi-steps and hard to find ingredients (Oat milk cream..?) made an Ottolenghi recipe look like the Joy of Cooking. It would be nice to order this at a restaurant. For now, I will take the title as inspiration to make a polenta dish with crispy sautéed mushrooms and Swiss chard.
Elva
My husband and I loved this recipe. I used quick grits that only take 5 minutes to make. The pickled and spice flavor go super well together. The creamy grits really serves this dish nicely. Would definitely make again.
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