Who else loves pimento cheese? Everyone does, right?! Then you are going to love baked pimento cheese. My first job was at the Mousetrap in Lexington, KY, which is known for their pimento cheese. Funnily enough, after working around it all the time, I couldn’t eat it for years. Now that I’m far removed from the job, I crave that pimento cheese. Thinking about tailgate recipes this fall, I had the idea to try and recreate their pimento cheese, but to try and bake it! The result is a creamy, cheesy dip with lots of flavor. I used a combination of cheddar and monterey jack cheese, but you could also use swiss, white cheddar, American, colby.. really whatever cheese you fancy or have on hand!
This recipe comes together very easily, you just add all of the ingredients to a bowl and combine. If you forget to soften the cream cheese you can microwave it (removed from the foil placed on a plate) in 10 second intervals until it’s soft.
Baked Pimento Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 1 8oz block cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or mayo
- 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese
- 8oz diced pimentos, drained
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Add all ingredients except for 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese to a mixing bowl. Use a spatula to thoroughly combine.
- Spread dip in a pie pan or 8×8 baking dish, top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese just starts to brown.
- Let cool and serve with crackers, chips and fresh veggies.
What is better than a creamy, cheesy dip? I love dipping baked pimento cheese with wheat thins, my favorite cracker, but it’s also great with tortilla chips and fresh veggies! It’d also be delicious with some fresh toasted bread. If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my Pimento Cheese Sausage Balls, Salsa ‘Pimento’ Cheese, Cheesy Bacon Green Chili Dip, Kentucky Hot Brown Dip and Kentucky Beer Cheese.
Biscuits & blessings,
Leels
