Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe ~ THE Spread for Everything!
Jul 12, 2019, Updated Nov 01, 2023
This spread has so many culinary uses. Great served with good crackers and crudités ~ use also as a sandwich spread, a burger topper or a stuffing for vegetables. The possibilities are really endless.
Pimento cheese has been a Southern staple for well over 50 years.
It’s served cold, well – room temperature. Pimento Cheese is typically served as a dip or a condiment for sandwiches. Although the recipe was not born in the Southern states if the U.S. ~ I believe it was mastered there, and beloved recipes have been handed down for generations.
What makes my recipe Southern style? I would say the level of spiciness, and the lack of cream cheese.
My recipe is lightened-up. Surprised?
You shouldn’t be ~ I love to tweak recipes and reinvent them! I’ve used top quality ingredients, good mayo – but not too much and added greek yogurt for some tang and a creamy texture.
How mine is different?
It has a zesty & spicy flavor – and I add sautéed shallots which are mandatory!!… So good.
I also do not use cream cheese, it’s not necessary as I think the texture is too heavy.
Easy to prepare!
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A batch of Pimento Cheese comes together in minutes, and keeps well in the refrigerator, I store in a tightly sealed glass container.
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What makes it Southern style? I would say the level of spiciness, and the lack of cream cheese.
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Use the best quality ingredients – starting with the cheeses. Many Wisconsin cheddars are yellow (colored with anatto); Vermont cheddars are typically white. I choose a “sharp” style cheddar that is well aged – you can taste the texture of crystallization – ooh so good!
A Little History:
While pimento cheese was being served at dinner parties in the North, the South’s version morphed in grandma’s kitchen over the years. The flavor of the original was very mild, so they traded it for the bolder cheddar cheese. To balance out the texture they added mayonnaise. The diced up pimentos though, never left the equation. The mayo-to-cheese ratio makes the whole dish just a little chunkier and a whole lot tastier.
Serving ideas for Pimento Cheese:
- Pimento Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (or as a filling for many sandwiches)
- Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
- Pimento Cheese Stuffed Squash and Stuffed Peppers (miniature ones make great appetizers.)
- Pimento Cheese Mac n Cheese
- Scalloped Corn with Pimento Cheese
- Pimento Cheese Corn Bread
- Pimento Cheese topped Burgers
- Topping for a home made biscuit
- Crispy Bacon is a great accompaniment
- Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Pimento Cheese
Enjoy this Southern Pimento Cheese Spread… for the Holidays & Beyond!
Karen
Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe ~ THE Spread for Everything!
This spread has so many culinary uses. Great served with good crackers and crudités ~ use also as a sandwich spread, a burger topper or a stuffing for vegetables. The possibilities are really endless.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces aged white cheddar, (about 2 cups, coarsely grated)
- 6 ounces yellow aged cheddar , coarsely grated
- 2/3 cups mayonnaise*, without "natural flavorings"
- 1/2 cup pimentos, drained, diced medium-fine
- 3 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce , (I use an organic one)
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 big pinches cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as expeller pressed safflower oil
- 3 tablespoons shallots, peeled, medium- fine dice
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add coarsely grated white & yellow cheddars to a large bowl. Add mayonnaise, pimentos, yogurt, worcestershire sauce, paprika and cayenne pepper. Blend to combine – I use a potato masher to not only mix-up, but blend to a creamy consistency.
- Sauté shallots: in a small pan, add 1 t. neutral oil and add chopped shallots. Cook over low-moderate heat, stirring until softened and just coloring around the edges, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Fold sautéed shallots into the large bowl. Cover the bowl, place in the refrigerator to cool and firm up. Taste the Pimento Cheese. Add salt to taste. Add more spices if you like.
To Serve:
- Bring to room temperature. I like to place the Pimento Cheese in a bowl with a spreader knife surrounded by nice crackers and sliced colorful vegetables.
Notes
*I do not use mass marketed mayonnaise. National Brand Hellmann's ingredients: soybean oil, water, whole eggs and egg yolks, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice concentrate, calcium disodium edta (used to protect quality), natural flavors.
365 by Whole Foods Market, Organic Mayonnaise - includes organic ingredients without the chemicals of "natural flavorings."
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 127mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 272IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 103mgIron: 0.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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