Home Chef: Spicy Cajun Shrimp and White Cheddar Grits Review

Home Chef’s Spicy Cajun Shrimp and White Cheddar Grits was labeled as a customer favorite in this previous week’s meal selection. I absolutely adore cheesy grits and seared shrimp so I had a feeling that this recipe had some serious potential. The recipe card indicated that the meal would take somewhere in between 25-35 minutes for prep & cooking time, and was labeled as “easy.” 

Total Prep, Cooking and Clean-Up Time: 

Prep: 20 Minutes

Cook: 22 Minutes

Total Time: 42 Minutes

Clean Up Time: 10 Minutes

Difficulty Level: Simple

Preparation involved slicing green onions, quartering mushrooms, mincing garlic, chopping peanuts. Drying Shrimp, and seasoning with Cajun-style seasoning. Preparation of the produce went relatively quickly, aside from chopping the peanuts which seemed slightly more tedious. I opted to crush the peanuts in the bag provided, using the bottom of a metal measuring cup. Saved time, and was fine as a garnish. 

Misguidance/Issues: 

Home Chef includes a section “Before You Cook” on the upper left-hand side of the recipe card with helpful tips. The tips should be included in the steps, as some people may go straight to the steps of the recipe itself. The tips for this recipe included washing produce, as well as boiling water for the grits. Including, a step to boil the water as part of the preparation would make more sense, and save time. 

Surprisingly, the Cajun seasoning was not included in my HomeChef box. I had to glance at the “In Your Box” on the front of the recipe card, to make sure I wasn't supposed to be providing this myself. It was supposed to be in the box. Due to the seasoning missing, I had to make my own: 

2 TBSP Salt

1 TBSP Dried Oregano 

1 TBSP Paprika

1 TBSP Cayenne Pepper

1 TBSP Black Pepper

This recipe made extra seasoning, so I saved the remainder for another day. Obviously taking the time to make this from scratch, added some time to the preparation and may have affected the overall flavor of the dish. 

Overall Impression: 

I was satisfied with this meal, however, I was not overly impressed by it. I would be hesitant to select this meal a second time unless some improvements were made.I did not like the use of instant grits in this recipe. The grits were watered down, however, I did enjoy the addition of the white cheddar. The shrimp, had wonderful flavor, as did the sauce. However, the sauce was made from a tomato juice. I would have rather enjoyed a thicker sauce, as the tomato juice only added to the watery consistency of the grits. 

I give this recipe 3 out of 5 stars. This recipe could be improved by tweaking the consistency of the grits and sauce. Also with the Cajun Seasoning missing from the box, I had to make my own which may have been different from what they intended to provide.