Pecan Pimento Cheese

An amped up Southern tradition!

A friend/work colleague of mine was born in Brooklyn and lived in New Jersey. Then, he moved to Nashville. Among his discoveries was Southern Pimento Cheese. He couldn’t understand the concept of it or our obsession with it. And although he loves cheese of all kinds, he didn’t like the taste of pimento cheese.

Not knowing that, I invited him to my house for the first time and what did I put out? Pimento cheese and crackers.

To be a good sport about it, he tried mine. He actually liked it! If not, he ate a lot of it trying to convince me he did. Maybe it was a consistency thing for him. I put less mayonnaise and add some sour cream and cream cheese. Whatever it is, he’s now one of the converted.

If this recipe can convert my picker eater guest, it might do the same for yours! Plus, Pecan Pimento Cheese is delicious!

What makes it so good? Toasted pecans, Dijon, green onions, sour cream and a little finely chopped celery. Also, I grate a block of extra sharp cheddar myself. No prepackaged shredded cheese with extra waxy ingredients. And no pasteurized cheese food. Only real cheese for this girl!

And by the way, while the Jersey boy doesn’t understand our Southern pimento cheese fetish, it sounds similar to how he rhapsodizes about “muhtz” or fresh mozzarella.

Maybe we’re not so different after all!

For more pimento cheese options, try our Pimento Cheese Bruschetta or our football shaped Touchdown Dip.

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Pecan Pimento Cheese

Recipe Ingredients

1 package cream cheese (softened)

2 c extra sharp grated cheese

¼ c mayo

¼ c sour cream

¼ t chili powder

¼ t cumin powder (comino)

½ t turmeric

¼ t onion salt

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

¼ t garlic powder

¾ t Dijon mustard

Few dashes of Tabasco or Louisiana Red Hot

¼ c green onions

¼ c finely chopped celery

½ c chopped toasted pecans

1/3 c chopped roasted red peppers (pimentos) drained

Preparation Instructions

1. Mix cream cheese, mayo and sour cream together in a mixing bowl.

2. Add salt, pepper, spices, Tabasco and blend again.

3. Then add remaining ingredients

4. Serve with celery sticks and crackers or in a sandwich.