Nana's Pimento Cheese
"Nana is DH's mother...and I can't get enough of her pimento cheese. The optionals are the stuff that I add when I want to dress her's up..but for the kids, just the way she makes it is wonderful. We serve it with ritz crackers and celery. We prefer to use the Vermont or Kraft brand of cheese. We like to eat it warm too cause it is more spreadable and who wants to wait till it's cool?"
photo by Sherrybeth
- Ready In:
- 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, grated
- 8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 (4 ounce) bottle diced pimentos, and liquid
- 1 (8 ounce) package of softened neufchatel cheese (NO non fat) or (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese (NO non fat)
- 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
- 1 -2 tablespoon very hot apple cider vinegar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
-
OPTIONAL
- 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon finely grated onion (or dried equivalent)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco jalapeno sauce
- 1 pimento stuffed olive, sliced thinly
directions
- In a large bowl, mix grated cheeses and whole bottle of pimentos and liquids. Mix gently. Add block of SOFTENED cream cheese, 1 TB of mayo and 1 TB HOT apple cider vinegar(this helps soften the mix farther for easier mixing). If you need more liquid, add more HOT apple cider vinegar.
- I use all the optionals at one time and I love it. Experiment and see how you like it.
- Serve on crackers and cleaned celery stalks topped with sliced green olive.
- Also, try wrapping a piece of melon (like cantelope) and a dollop of pimento cheese in a piece of ham. Yum!
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Reviews
-
This is the best recipe, and has been my go-to pimento cheese for everything from sandwich spread, cracker dip, and jalapeño poppers. I usually make the full batch, then split about 6 to 8 jalapeños lengthwise and seed them, fill them with this cheese spread, wrap them with bacon, and bake them on a slotted roast pan until the bacon gets crispy. YUM. I have plenty of pimento cheese left over for sandwiches or freezing for next time. It's really tasty by itself, or as part of another recipe. A+ -
So good! Love it with Flipsides or Fritos. Anxious to try Amy's suggestion with the jalapeños. -
great recipe. didn't use all the optionals. we love it with cream cheese! -
Great stuff! I love pimento cheese. I did add some seasoning salt and a tad of sugar. I added the optional ingredients except for the onion and olive. Thank you for the recipe, Caryn! -
FALL PAC 2007---VERY GOOD Pimento Cheese. Nana did an excellent job. I added the optional garlic powder, onion, worcestershire sauce and a drop of Tabasco. I also added a hint of seasoned salt just as a personal preference. This is a very smooth, very tasty pimento cheese recipe. Thanks Caryn...I'll be using this one again.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Caryn Dalton
United States
I've lived in several states, and they have all added a bit of "flavor" to my culinary preferences. I love comfort food and as I've aged, I seek ways to make old favorites more healthy. For me, healthy is defined by what we have learned about gut health over the years. I no longer cook the way I used to, but I still crave those old favorites. It's quite likely that something I posted here more than a decade ago is no longer made in my kitchen, or has been greatly altered to fit our new model. I appreciate it when people take the time to post great recipes because the internet is so much quicker and convenient to use than my stash of cookbooks, cherished as they are. I also appreciate reading reviews that people post, providing they are actually helpful. I just don't understand rudeness, competitiveness and the like and wish people didn't feel the need to inject negative attitudes into all the positive. I feel a site like this one can help many people and it's a great way to collaborate and share treasures in our kitchens. I'm glad to have access and to be a part of the community.
