Growing up, my mom adored Pimento Cheese sandwiches. And as a kid who saw nothing more than a scary bowl of nuclear orange spread, I couldn’t get passed the word Pimento. Yet I could knock back a bag of dye- and preservative-laden fried chip-puff thingies, no questions asked. She’d slather a big spoonful on a slice of soft white bread, fold it in half, and grab a soda. I’m pretty sure that was her version of my chips & queso and a margarita lunch 🙂

When it was time for our church’s dinner on the grounds, mom always made a towering plate of Pimento Cheese sandwiches, crusts removed and cut into 4 dainty triangles. Pimento cheese sandwiches and enchiladas, those were her potluck specialties.

The store-bought variety is loaded with a lot of… stuff. It’s incredibly easy to make your own at home and skip on the the filler and preservatives. It’s essentially grated cheddar cheese (I use a mix of sharp cheddar and horseradish white cheddar for a kick), roasted red pepper, garlic, salt, and a dash of Worcestershire held together with as little mayo as possible. A food processor makes quick work of it but a cheese grater and a fork are just as effective.

There’s almost nothing you can do with Pimento Cheese that will ever top slathering it on a slice of soft, smooshy off-the-shelf white sandwich bread. That doesn’t mean we can’t try. We eat it with crackers and baked pita chips. With toasted bread rounds. And on hamburgers with a fried green tomato slice. We call it “The Southern.” And as you’d imagine, we don’t have that one very often.

Side note: Yes, we have names for every burger combo that we’ve ever eaten. It’s probably a little weird.

Some other ideas and ways to make and eat Pimento Cheese:
Pimento Cheese, by Pink Parsley
Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs, by Branny Boils Over
Pimento Cheese Fritters, by Pink Parsley
Baked Tex-Mex Pimento Cheese Dip, by Pink Parsley

Do you see a pattern? I think Josie might be the only person on earth who loves Pimento Cheese more than me 🙂

Print

Pimento Cheese

The southern favorite gets a kick with horseradish white cheddar.

Ingredients

• 4 oz sharp cheddar
• 4 oz white horseradish cheddar
• Dash of Worcestershire
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, torn into 3-4 pieces
• 1/4-1/3 cup light mayo

Instructions

1. If using a food processor, use the blade to shred the cheese.
2. Remove a handful of cheese from the bowl and set aside.
3. Switch to the chopper blade and add the garlic clove, 1/4 cup of mayo, a dash of Worcestershire, the red pepper, a pinch of salt and pepper and process 8-10 seconds.
4. Return the shredded cheese to the bowl and pulse 1-2 times.
5. Store in the fridge, will keep a week plus.
6. If not using a food processor, grate the cheese and finely mince the garlic.
7. Stir the minced garlic, Worcestershire, and mayo together with a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Finely dice the roasted red pepper and add it to the bowl along with the cheese.
9. Stir until thoroughly combined and then take fork and mash the cheese until you reach desired consistency.

Notes

Yields: ~1 1/2 cups

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 15 minutes