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Hot Pimiento Cheese Dip

Source of Recipe

From "Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible"


Recipe Introduction

"I am always amazed when I go around the country and I hear people say, 'Pimiento cheese? What's that? I've never heard of it.' Well, I say y'all haven't lived until you have tasted good old homemade pimiento cheese — and for goodness' sake, if I ever left the pimiento cheese sandwiches out of Jamie's and Bobby's lunch boxes, you can be sure they would trade their tuna fish or egg salad until they got their hands on one of their classmates' pimiento cheese. It is a classic Southern ingredient. This is the perfect way of serving it up hot and ready for a party. Why, it's just like dipping into the melted insides of one of my all-time favorite grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches. Yum."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
â—¦ 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 ounces)
â—¦ 1 jar (4 ounces) chopped pimientos, well drained
â—¦ ½ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons grated yellow onion
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
â—¦ ½ cup diced tomato
â—¦ Tortilla chips or crackers, for dipping


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the cheeses by hand. Measure out ½ cup of the cheese mixture for the topping and set aside.

Pat the pimientos dry with a paper towel and add them to the mixer bowl along with the mayonnaise, onion, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix at medium speed until the ingredients are well combined. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold the tomato in by hand.

Scrape the mixture into a gratin dish or wide, shallow baking dish that's pretty enough for serving. Sprinkle the top of the dip with the reserved cheese mixture.

Bake until the dip is bubbling and golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving with plenty of chips or crackers.

Serves 6 to 8