The Perfect Pimento Cheese Sandwich: Ingredients And Recipe

Pimento cheese sandwiches are a Southern staple, famously served at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and enjoyed year-round by Southerners. The sandwiches are traditionally made with a creamy blend of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, diced pimentos, and various spices, served on white bread. However, the beauty of this sandwich is that it can be customised to your liking, with some recipes including cream cheese, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. The pimento cheese can also be served on crackers, celery, or corn chips, or used as a topping for hamburgers.

Pimento cheese sandwich recipes

Pimento cheese sandwiches are a Southern staple, famously served at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. They are made with a creamy blend of shredded cheese, mayonnaise, diced pimentos, and various spices, and are usually served on white bread. Here are some recipes to make this classic sandwich.

Basic Pimento Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• White bread
• Pimento cheese spread (store-bought or homemade)
• Sliced tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

• Spread the pimento cheese evenly over a slice of bread.
• Top with another slice of bread.
• Cut into halves or quarters and serve.

Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of soft white or sourdough bread
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of homemade pimento cheese
• 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
• Sliced tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

• Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat.
• Spread the pimento cheese evenly over one slice of bread.
• Top with the second slice.
• Spread mayonnaise evenly on the top and bottom of the sandwich.
• Place the sandwich on the heated skillet or griddle.
• Cook for about 3 minutes per side, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
• Let the sandwich rest for 1-2 minutes before cutting and serving.

Masters Pimento Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 4-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices white bread

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, combine cheeses, cream cheese, diced pimentos, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne powder. Stir well.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread the pimento cheese on 6 slices of white bread.
• Top with the remaining 6 slices of bread.
• Cut each sandwich diagonally and serve.

Pimento Cheese, Ham, and Pickle Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon finely grated yellow or white onion
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups extra-sharp orange cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup drained jarred or canned piquillo peppers, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 slices sturdy white sandwich bread
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Ham slices
• Homemade pickles

Directions:

• For the pimento cheese: Melt 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, dry mustard, and cayenne, cooking until the onion softens. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
• Add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, peppers, Worcestershire, and remaining mayonnaise to the bowl. Stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce, if desired.
• For the assembly: Brush one side of each slice of bread with melted butter. Flip the slices so the unbuttered side faces up.
• Spread 1/4 cup of pimento cheese on each slice of bread.
• Arrange 3 slices of ham on 4 slices of bread.
• Top with enough pickles to cover.
• Press the remaining cheese-spread slices (cheese side down) over the pickles.
• Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Cook the sandwiches for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden and oozing cheese.
• Let the sandwiches rest for 2 minutes before cutting and serving with additional pickles.

How to make a pimento cheese sandwich

Ingredients

• White bread
• Pimento peppers
• Cream cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic (optional)
• Onion powder (optional)
• Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• Hot sauce (optional)

Optional Add-Ins

• Sliced tomato
• Crispy bacon
• Grilled ham
• Lettuce
• Cornichons
• Olives

Method

Firstly, make the pimento cheese spread. Drain and chop your pimento peppers, then mix with the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and any optional ingredients you wish to include.

Next, spread the pimento cheese onto a slice of white bread. If you're feeling indulgent, you can butter or spread mayonnaise on the outside of the bread, which will give your sandwich a crispy texture when grilled. Top with another slice of bread.

Finally, grill your sandwich in a pan or skillet over medium heat until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy your pimento cheese sandwich!

Pimento cheese sandwich serving suggestions

Pimento cheese sandwiches are a Southern staple, often served at events like the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and the Kentucky Derby. They are typically made with a creamy blend of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, diced pimentos, and various spices, served on white bread. Here are some serving suggestions for this classic sandwich:

Traditional Serving Suggestions:

• Pimento cheese sandwiches are often served on soft, fluffy white bread. However, you can also use wheat bread or a bread roll.
• The sandwiches can be cut into bite-sized squares or triangles, making them easier to eat as a snack or as part of a larger meal.
• At the Masters golf tournament, the sandwiches are served in green wrappers, so you can wrap your sandwiches in green paper or napkins to mimic this tradition.
• Pimento cheese sandwiches go well with salty chips, crackers, or celery sticks on the side.
• For a true Southern experience, pair your sandwich with a glass of sweet tea, either on its own or mixed with lemonade (known as an "Arnold Palmer").

Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich:

If you want to switch things up, you can turn your pimento cheese sandwich into a grilled cheese. Here are some tips for making the perfect grilled pimento cheese sandwich:

• Spread mayonnaise on the outside of the bread instead of butter before grilling. This gives the sandwich a perfect crispy texture without any greasiness.
• Keep the heat to medium-low to ensure the bread doesn't burn before the cheese is melted.
• You can add slices of tomato to your grilled pimento cheese sandwich for a summery twist.
• Serve your grilled sandwich with a bowl of soup, such as tortellini soup or corn chowder, for a heartier meal.

Additional Toppings and Variations:

• For a heartier sandwich, add some crispy bacon, grilled ham, or sliced tomato.
• If you like spice, include 1 to 2 teaspoons of seeded and diced jalapeños for an extra kick.
• Instead of using jarred pimentos, you can substitute with piquillo peppers, which have a sharper, sweeter, and more tart flavour.
• To make it a meal, serve your sandwich with a fresh salad on the side, such as a Greek cucumber salad, summer corn salad, or broccoli cauliflower salad.

Pimento cheese sandwich history

Pimento cheese sandwiches are a Southern specialty, but they didn't originate in the South. The sandwich was first created in New York in the late 1800s, as a product of industrial food manufacturing and mass marketing. It was born out of the marriage of cream cheese and canned pimentos, two popular and newly available products of the industrial food trade.

In the 1870s, New York farmers began crafting a soft, unripened cheese modelled after the French Neufchâtel. Within a few decades, several New York companies were marketing an American Neufchâtel, and they soon introduced cream cheese, a variant made by mixing cream with Neufchâtel curd and moulding it into blocks.

Around the same time, sweet red peppers imported from Spain first became available in the Americas. By the 1890s, imported Spanish peppers were being canned and sold by large food manufacturers, which boosted their popularity and introduced the Spanish name, pimiento.

These two new products, cream cheese and red pimentos, were favourites of the practitioners of Domestic Science, also known as home economics. The movement sought to bring order and scientific precision to all aspects of the home, with a particular emphasis on scientific cooking. Before long, they were devising ways to incorporate cream cheese into salads and hors d'oeuvres. The Domestic Scientists also loved canned pimentos, especially their mild flavour and flashy red colour.

It wasn't long before the two ingredients were brought together. In 1908, an article in Good Housekeeping recommended sandwiches filled with a blend of soft cream cheese, mustard, chives, and minced pimentos. The following year, Eva Green Fuller's Up-to-Date Sandwich Book presented a more basic version of the pimento cheese sandwich: "Grind two small cans of pimentos with two cakes of Neufchatel cheese, and season with a little salt. Spread on thin slices of lightly buttered white bread."

Dozens of similar recipes appeared in magazines and cookbooks in the years just before and after World War I. Soon, cheese manufacturers began flavouring their cheese in the factory, running pimentos through a mechanical chopper, then mixing them into Neufchatel curd. Commercially-made pimento cheese hit the market around 1910 and spread quickly across the country.

The South may not have invented pimento cheese, but it did become the centre of the nation's pimento growing and canning industry. In 1911, when imported Spanish pimentos were an expensive delicacy, farmers in Georgia began cultivating domestic pimentos. By the 1920s, a flourishing pimento industry had developed in and around Griffin, Georgia. The country's largest packer, Pomona Products Company of Griffin, was producing 10 million cans of pimentos per year.

Before World War II, pimento cheese was mentioned in hundreds of newspaper stories and advertisements, but none described it as a Southern thing. Instead, it was presented as an example of modern, up-to-date eating, associated with soda fountains and sandwich shops, where the pimento cheese sandwich became a lunchtime staple.

After World War II, the popularity of pimento cheese began to wane, and it largely disappeared from grocery store shelves. However, Southern cooks began creating their own recipes for making it from scratch, turning it into something associated very closely with the South.

Pimento cheese sandwich variations

Pimento cheese sandwiches are a Southern staple, often served at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, and cut into bite-sized squares. They are traditionally made with a creamy blend of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and diced pimentos, served on white bread. However, there are many variations to this classic sandwich. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich

As the name suggests, this variation involves grilling the sandwich. To make it, spread the pimento cheese on one slice of bread, top with another slice, and grill in a skillet or pan until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. You can also add slices of tomato for a summery twist.

Pimento Cheese with Ham and Pickles

For a heartier sandwich, add some slices of ham and homemade pickles. Crisp, buttery bread, gushing cheese, and crunchy, sour pickles make for a memorable grilled cheese experience.

Pimento Cheese with Bacon

Take your sandwich to the next level by adding crispy bacon. You can also add sliced tomato and/or jalapeños for a spicy kick.

Pimento Cheese on Different Breads

While white bread is traditional, you can experiment with different types of bread such as sourdough, rye, or whole wheat.

Pimento Cheese with Olives

Olives are a classic accompaniment to pimento cheese sandwiches. Spread the pimento cheese on a slice of bread, top with olives, and finish with another slice of bread.

Pimento Cheese with Crackers or Chips

If you're not in the mood for a sandwich, simply enjoy the pimento cheese as a dip with crackers, pita chips, or corn chips. You can also spread it on celery sticks or use it as a topping for hamburgers.

Frequently asked questions