Pimento Grilled Cheese
Take an old classic to a new level! These Pimento Grilled Cheese Sandwiches feature melty, creamy pimento cheese in between slices of buttered bread. Yum!
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A good pimento cheese sandwich is hard to beat! These sandwiches feature a simple pimento cheese mixture spread between two slices of white bread. There’s a reason why pimento cheese sandwiches are a staple food every spring at the Master’s. They’re just darned good!
What is Pimento Cheese?
Growing up in the Carolinas, pimento cheese was a household staple. In fact, it’s often referred to as ‘the caviar of the South.’ Pimento cheese is a mixture of shredded cheddar cheese, pimento peppers and mayo. Add in a few seasonings, and you’re all set.
What are pimento peppers? At first glance, you might think these tiny red peppers are spicy. They’re not! Pimento peppers are mild, sweet peppers that you can find in small jars next to the pickles in the grocery store. (Fresh pimento peppers are not very common.)
Pimento peppers are often stuffed inside of olives and – get this – they’re one of the main ingredients in ground paprika. Pimento peppers are similar to roasted red peppers. In fact, some folks use roasted red peppers instead of pimentos in their pimento cheese recipes. (That would technically make it roasted red pepper cheese….)
I shared this recipe for a copycat version of the Master’s Pimento Cheese Sandwiches a while back. At first glance, you might think the ingredients wouldn’t jive together all that well. But trust me when I say they work! If you’re looking for a classic pimento cheese, that’s where I’d start for sure.
While we’re talking about pimento cheese, I have to include a shout-out to this Pecan Habanero Pimento Cheese. After we moved down to the mountains of North Carolina a couple of years ago, our neighbor shared this recipe with us. Holy cow! We’ve made countless batches of this stuff…and we always want more. It’s a bit different than the traditional version of pimento cheese, but it’s the kind of appetizer recipe that will make you famous at neighborhood parties!
Pimento Grilled Cheese
I was whipping up a batch of pimento cheese recently, and I got to thinking. What if I played around with the mixture a little bit and used it as the filling for grilled cheese? I mean it’s already got cheese in there, so it’s not a far leap from cheese spread to grilled cheese.
For this Pimento Grilled Cheese, I eliminated the blue cheese that is found in the copycat Masters version and added some cream cheese instead. I wanted a nice super creamy grilled cheese! The combination of cheddar cheese with a bit of cream cheese leads to an amazing grilled cheese sandwich.
Once the mixture was combined, I buttered up some thick slices of white bread (i.e. Texas toast) and spread a generous amount of that pimento cheese mixture in between. After about 6-8 minutes in the skillet, I was looking at golden brown sandwiches oozing with melty pimento cheese. I couldn’t wait to dig in!
These Pimento Grilled Cheese Sandwiches didn’t disappoint. They were rich and delicious in the best way possible. If you’re a fan of original pimento cheese, then definitely put this twist on the menu. It’s hard to beat a good grilled cheese sammich!
Storing Leftovers
Grilled cheese sandwiches will definitely taste better when served fresh. However, if you do end up with leftovers, they should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, wrap the sandwiches in foil and place in an oven or toaster oven at 300°F for 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted.
Did you make this Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich recipe at home? Leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Pimento Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
For the Pimento Cheese Filling
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded, I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup diced pimento peppers
- 4 Tbsp cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ¾ tsp Italian seasonings
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 8 slices Texas toast bread or thick-sliced rustic bread
Instructions
For the Pimento Cheese Filling
- Using a medium bowl, add all ingredients; stir until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
For the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Preheat large skillet or similar pan over medium heat.
- Using a small bowl, combine butter, Italian seasonings and salt. Butter one side of each of the slices of bread.
- Place four slices of bread buttered-side down. Spread ~⅓ cup of the pimento cheese spread on top of each slice of bread.
- Top with remaining slices of bread buttered-side out.
- Place sandwiches in skillet and cook on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, or until bottom slice of bread is golden brown.
- Flip and continue cooking until other side is golden brown.
Looking for more grilled cheese recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
I need to try this soon for me BTW cant wait to make your recipes soon for me
You should definitely try this grilled cheese sandwich, Ramya – it’s really, really good!! 🙂
Such a huge fan of pimiento cheese! Had it recently on a burger and thought I’d died and gone to Heaven! I love your takes on grilled cheese… it’s a staple in my house and it’s so fun to mix them up! Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Ohhh…pimiento cheese on a burger!? I think I need to make that happen ASAP! After all, it is summer grilling season right now. In fact, can we make this mixture from this recipe and stuff it inside of a burger?? Only one way to find out!!
Ha! I was one of those folks who thought that pimento peppers were rather hot and avoided stuffed olives. (But in my excuse, the name sounded like they should be quite hot, right?!) Thanks for educating me, David. And needless to say, this grilled cheese looks phenomenal and so tempting.
Haha – well I’m glad you learned something new today, Ben. Pimento peppers are not hot at all. In fact, I don’t think they change the flavor of olives much at all in my opinion. So go and grab some olives…and the ingredients to make this grilled cheese sandwich!
Pimento cheese is not an aussie thing (tho I could be wrong, but i’ve never seen it here). But this sounds so good David. Gooey deliciousness for sure. And a cheese toastie is always a good thing!
sherry
Pimento cheese is decidedly a Southern United States thing, Sherry. It’s unique. It’s kinda strange. But it’s delicious! This recipe isn’t a classic pimento cheese one as I included cream cheese to make it extra creamy for the sandwich. I highly recommend trying both the classic version (linked in text above) and this version for a cheese toastie – I love that name!
Now this is comfort food done right! I love pimento cheese on its own, but grilled into a toasty sandwich? That’s genius. Definitely making this soon, perfect for a cosy lunch!
You know I love some comfort food, and this sandwich absolutely fits that bill! This sandwich takes grilled cheese to a whole new level. Thanks, Raymund!
Up until today I had no clue that pimento peppers were one of the main components of paprika nor that pimento cheese was made with pimento peppers, cheese, and mayo! Thanks for helping me learn those nuggets of info, David! Lil S hasnt stopped raving about a pimento cheese burger she had on one of her visits here and I bet she will do the same about these!
Pimento cheese really is a simple – and rather odd – invention. But it sure is delicious! Speaking of odd, I find it strange that the famous Master’s pimento cheese has a bit of blue cheese in it. I’ve made that recipe, and it’s fantastic…I just wouldn’t have expected the little bit of blue cheese in there. Either way, this grilled cheese is pretty delicious in its own right. Creamy, cheesy and so yummy! I hope Lil S would approve!