You'll love this light and airy Pineapple Casserole! It's a little bit of everything-sweet, savory with a bit of crunch! It goes great as a side dish with spiral ham, turkey or savory barbecue!
Pineapple Casserole is a vintage southern recipe that you'll usually find served as an Easter dinner because it pairs beautifully with a spiral ham! You'll usually find alongside English Pea Salad and Homemade Mac n Cheese.
Ham and pineapple go together like "peas and carrots" so you won't want to miss this combination!
The sweetness of the pineapple contrasts with the saltiness of the meat resulting in a flavor-match made in heaven!
I first had this at Thanksgiving one year when my dear friend brought this --it was delicious!
She brought it slightly warm, and when I removed the foil from her serving dish, I was amazed at how beautiful and scrumptious it looked!
Why you'll love this recipe!
- Quick and easy - takes 5-minutes to put this recipe together!
- Simple ingredients- nothing fancy; eggs, bread, cheese, pineapple, butter
- Versatile - serve as a side with Easter of Thanksgiving dinner or as a dessert!
What you need to make it:
The ingredients are simple: bread, butter, eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, pineapple,and sugar. The bread does not need to be stale.
How to make it:
Pineapple Casserole takes no time to prepare!
Tear or cut bread into ½" cubes; drain the pineapple
Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. By the way, to "cream together" means mash the butter into the eggs and sugar and mix it all up:)
Add bread, drained pineapple and cheese; mix it all together and put it in the greased baking dish
In about 50-minutes, the pineapple casserole is done. You can serve this yummy side hot or warm..oh heck... you can even serve it as dessert!
What size baking dish to use:
This recipe works best in a 9 x 13" glass dish, however, I've made it in two 9"inch pie plates and also in an 8 x 3½ round casserole dish.
The 9 x 13" works best for serving a large group-the batter fills the rectangular pan up about half-way, so that allows each person to get a scoop of the crunchy top and warm filling.
Tips:
- Drain the crushed pineapple well; use crushed or diced--your call
- Don't forget to butter the baking dish
- Tear or cut bread into ½-inch cubes; include the crust
- This recipe works best when baked in a 9 x 13" dish because, a little goes a long way and...everybody wants a bite of the crunchy top. When you put it in a deeper dish, the crunchy part doesn't go as far.
- Bake covered for 50-minutes; if you want to brown the top, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes
- Let the pineapple cheese casserole rest a few minutes before serving
- You can safely leave the casserole out at room temperature for up to 2 hours; since it contains eggs, it is not advised to leave it out longer than this or in the heat
Make ahead instructions:
Make and bake the pineapple cheese casserole ahead of time. Refrigerate up to three days or freeze up to one week. If reheating from the freezer, allow to come to room temperature before reheating.
If you want a crusty brown top, pop the casserole under the broiler for a few minutes after you've baked it.
Reheating and storage:
Reheat the entire casserole covered at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes (until center is warm.) Store leftovers in fridge for up to three days.
Who invented the pineapple casserole?
Nobody really knows who invented the Southern Pineapple Casserole recipe. Perhaps by the Dole™ company?
I can only imagine Pineapple casserole was developed out of love and compassion, perhaps originally as a "funeral" dish or perhaps a welcoming dessert. Afterall, the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.
Related recipes:
- Southern Macaroni and Cheese
- Classic Southern Pecan Pie
- Perfect Beef Tenderloin
- Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish Cream Sauce
- Orange Glazed Carrots
- Southern Skillet Cornbread
- How to Season and Cook Purple Hull or Blackeyed Peas
- Easy Burgundy Mushrooms
- Southern Mustard Potato Salad
If you make this recipe please scroll down and leave a comment and rating! I love to hear from you!
Pineapple Casserole
Ingredients
- 40 ounces Crushed Pineapple , drained
- 1 cup Butter , unsalted; room temperature
- 4 whole Eggs , large
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese , shredded
- 2 cups Sugar , granulated
- 4 cups Bread ,torn into ½" pieces; See Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly oil baking dish with a little butter; set aside
- In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar and eggs and cream together until well blended
- Add torn bread, pineapple and cheese to butter mixture
- Pour mixture into lightly greased baking dish
- Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes
- Remove and let rest for 15 minutes before serving (See Recipe Notes for Crunchy Topping)
Notes
- Use plain white bread; I include the crust, but you don't have to (this is about 8 slices of normal white bread)
- The bread doesn't have to be stale
- Press the bread gently into the measuring cup
I'd love to hear from you!