Grandma Lucy’s Pimento Cheese
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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
Oh my, this is the only kind of pimento cheese my family loves. Sometimes someone will bring in another kind and we never finish it. Many of my friends at work have enjoyed this and think it is something else! They often ask for the recipe and when I tell them, they act like they don’t believe me. But, like I said before, this is the ONLY pimento cheese we eat at my house.
Love the Duke’s Mayo! Now I buy the light version, though. I use the sharpest cheddar I can find then grate it by hand. I add juice from the pimento jar, pimentos, mayo and mix it by hand. We like to “grill” the sandwich in a hot skillet with butter. Best served with Brunswick stew or tomato soup. Can’t wait to try your Velveeta version.
So glad to see you use Duke’s mayo. We discovered it several years ago when a Southern Living article on potato salad commented that Duke’s made the best potato salad. My husband is diabetic, so Duke’s is great for him because the “original” has no sugar. I love the ZING it gives everything.
wow, this is almost just like my recipe… only I add a touch of sugar and vinegar. My fiancé loves it!
Until a little while ago, I’d never even heard of pimento cheese (Tina at Mommy’s Kitchen posted it a little while back). Now reading all these comments of people who grew up loving it, I might have to give it a try. Southern Plate has never failed me before – we might find a new favorite!
You’ve got to be kidding! This is my recipe also. It is so delicious. How can I get a copy of your cookbook?
When I was growing up (I’m 69), my mother always made pimento cheese sandwiches for picnics, and traveling. Anytime we went anywhere, she would make up about a dozen sandwiches and put them in the “ice chest” with our cokes. She grated sharp cheddar and mixed it with Miracle Whip and pimentos. Ummmmm, good!