Grandma Lucy’s Pimento Cheese
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Today I’m bringing you a much beloved recipe from the South. From what I read and hear, it isn’t nearly as popular outside of our little geographic region as it is here, but folks in these parts consider it a staple in every home!
Long before the days of snack cakes and convenience foods, Pimento Cheese sandwiches dominated minds when it came to a “quick bite to eat” or a “little lunch”. They were cheap and delicious on plain old white bread, although I serve mine on wheat these days.
I remember going to Grandmama and Grandaddy’s house and finding one or both sitting at their kitchen table having a pimento cheese sandwich and a glass of milk. They’d always ask “Ya want some puh-men-ah cheese, baby?”. I never refused.
I’ve wanted to get this recipe up on here for a while and asked Grandmama how she made her pimento cheese so I could bring you the taste I remember so well. She immediately said “Oh, now if you want the best pimento cheese, you gotta use Velveeta.”
What better time to bring you this than during my time serving as a Velveeta Kitchenista? I hope you’ve been visiting Velveeta It!’s facebook page this month as myself and four other Mom bloggers present a new Velveeta recipe each day but if you haven’t you can still breeze on over there and catch up on all of the wonderful tips and recipes that have been shared so far! Just visit www.facebook.com/velveeta and be sure to drop a howdy to me there this Thursday when I’ll be hosting Tasty Traditions Thursdays!
You’ll need: 16 ounce block of Velveeta, Pimentos, and a little Mayo.
Grate your Velveeta. Now Velveeta is a little on the soft side so I found an easy way of doing this. You remember play-doh? Just get your grater out and place the block of Velveeta against it and press into the grater. It comes out the other side quick and easy as can be and ends up being a lot less work than grating a block of cheddar.
Dump in a jar of drained pimentos. I used the small jar which is about 2 ounces.
Add about 1/2 cup of Mayonnaise. You can add more to taste if you like.
Stir that up well.
Grandmama doesn’t salt and pepper hers so I didn’t either. I found it to be utterly sublime as is but feel free to salt and pepper (and even garlic!) yours if you got a hankerin’ to.
Serve on a sandwich or crackers.
These are a standard at every party, too. There is nothing like little finger pimento cheese sandwiches with the crusts trimmed off to add an air of tradition to a gathering!
Did you eat pimento cheese growing up? Do you have a different recipe or a special Pimento Cheese memory?
Tell me about it in the comments!
Ingredients
- 16 ounce block Velveeta
- 2 ounce jar Pimentos drained
- 1/2 C Mayonnaise
Instructions
- Push Velveeta through a grater until all is grated in a bowl. Add Pimentos and Mayo. Stir well. Salt and pepper if desired. Serve on loaf bread.
Today’s quote is one of those that kinda hits you in layers. Hope you enjoy it!
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
St. Francis of Assisi
When I was a kid, my grandmother always made stuffed celery with pimento cheese spread. I can’t remember if she made it homemade, I THINK, she used the Kraft Pimento Cheese spread, no mayo, just that. But either way, this spread was and still is a big hit at home.
I have been a Pimento Cheese fan since back in the ’40s and 50’s. I made this exactly to your recipe and put it in the fridge for twenty four hours. Just tasted it and all I can really taste is the Velveeta cheese. I used a two ounce jar of diced pimentos and used Hellmann’s mayo. Does the brand of pimentos make a difference? Are some just not as “tasty” as others? Should I add more pimentos? Thank you !!!
Hey Don!
Yes, they are all a little different but once you find “the” recipe for your pimento tastebuds you’ll be hooked! I would suggest taking that pimento cheese you’ve already made and adding a little hot sauce and cayenne pepper like I did in this recipe: https://www.southernplate.com/2013/03/sharp-spicy-pimento-cheese.html
I think that will add that little extra oomph of flavor you’re after.
Thanks Christy…your suggestion was spot on !! In addition to the hot sauce and pepper, I added another small jar of pimentos, it made it “come alive”. My son stopped by and we tried it on some Ritz crackers, he thought it was outstanding, I think if he had his way, he would have taken all of it home. Thanks again !!
🙂 Glad to hear it worked!!
My grandmother made the best pimento cheese, she only used longhorn cheese from the butcher shop, it was in the case about 12 inches in diameter, wonderful cheese. She canned her pimento’s , she peeled the skin off cut them in big strips, then canned them in equal parts sugar & vinegar. Then she made her own mayo, she always cut the crust off….I have her written recipe but have never made it.
This is exactly how I make pimento cheese. So easy and so good!
🙂 It’s one of my favorites!!
I put block of Velveeta in freezer for approximately 2 hours before grating. I found this to work great.
Great idea Dale!! Thanks for sharing!!
This is exactly how my family has made pimento cheese for over 50 years.
🙂 It’s a Southern Thang Karen!!! Happy New Year!!
Christy,
First of all I love “minner” cheese! That being said I like it simple, cheese of any kind (Velveeta is fine), Duke’s only, a little vinegar and drained Pimientos, salt and pepper.
And at the risk of total ban from this site, I do love Ruth’s Pimiento spread that was originally made down the road in Charlotte, NC, it is good as you can get if you can’t make it yourself.
Oh, and Duke’s mayo was created by a lady living in Greenville SC and she got her start selling sandwiches to Soldiers camped near Greenville who were waiting to go overseas in WWI.
Thanks for the great recipes and stories…..