Baked Southern pineapple and cheese casserole is the ultimate blend of savory and sweet. Made with juicy pineapple tidbits, brown sugar, and sharp cheddar, then finished with a crunchy Ritz cracker and butter topping, this side dish bakes to golden perfection in just 30 minutes. It's a classic Southern favorite that's perfect for holiday gatherings like Easter and Thanksgiving.
Ok, hear me out. If you have never had pineapple cheese casserole, you may think - "Heather, you're out of your mind!". And I completely understand. But this dish. This DDDIIISSSHHHH....oh man, we LOVE her and all of her quirky elements.
It's sticky-sweet but has this crunchy savory element from the buttery Ritz cracker topping (which we all know is my favorite part of broccoli casserole - so much so I double the amount specifically for myself lol). It's got all these textures, but in this strangely addicting way where you literally can't just have one serving. You will find yourself going back for just one more bite and one more bite....15 bites later and half of the casserole dish is gone lol (and I won't judge).
Let me show you why we are all strangely addicted to this uniquely Southern staple casserole dish around all the holidays!
⭐️ PRO TIP ⭐️ Always, always, always take the extra 2 minutes to shred your own cheddar cheese. In my years of Southern cooking, it's always worth shredding cheese from a block for a better texture, flavor and melting factor than using bagged preshredded stuff.
Recipe
Baked Southern Pineapple and Cheese Casserole
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Description
Baked Southern pineapple and cheese casserole is the ultimate blend of savory and sweet. Made with juicy pineapple tidbits, brown sugar, and sharp cheddar, then finished with a crunchy Ritz cracker and butter topping, this side dish bakes to golden perfection in just 30 minutes. It's a classic Southern favorite that's perfect for holiday gatherings like Easter and Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 2 - 20 Ounce Cans Pineapple Tidbits - drained and juices reserved
- 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese - shredded
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 10 Tablespoons of Reserved Pineapple Juice
- 3 Tablespoons Flour
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ Teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ Teaspoon Pepper
- ½ Cup Butter
- 2 Sleeve Ritz Crackers - crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained pineapple tidbits, shredded cheddar cheese, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, and flour until smooth and no flour clumps remain.
- Stir the brown sugar mixture into the pineapple and cheese until well mixed. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix the crushed Ritz crackers with melted butter until the crumbs are evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the cracker mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the casserole is bubbly around the edges.
- Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 727
- Sugar: 118.3 g
- Sodium: 308.5 mg
- Fat: 20.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 128.7 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
- Cholesterol: 50.5 mg
