• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

SmartyPantsKitchen logo

  • About
  • Foodie Tips
  • Kitchen 101
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Foodie Tips
  • Kitchen 101
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
×

Home » Side Dishes

Pineapple Casserole

Published: Mar 21, 2021 · Last Modified: Feb 28, 2022 by Anecia

  • share
  • share
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

You'll love this light and airy easy Pineapple Casserole recipe! 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 and Thanksgiving because it pairs beautifully with a spiral ham and turkey! You'll usually find alongside Southern Cornbread Dressing,  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!

Pineapple casserole in turquoise baking dish
Pineapple casserole pairs beautifully with ham, smoked or BBQ meats or roasted turkey!

 

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, sharp cheddar cheese, pineapple, butter
  • Versatile - serve as a side with Easter of Thanksgiving dinner or as a dessert!

There are many variations of this recipe: some use buttery Ritz crackers, while others use saltine crackers. I like the texture of this easy bread recipe.

What you need to make it

The ingredients are simple:  bread, (any kind, but I use plain old white bread), butter, eggs, sharp cheddar cheese, crushed pineapple,and sugar. The bread does not need to be stale.

Ingredient on counter top

 

How to make it

Pineapple Casserole takes no time to prepare! Get the butter out of the fridge and let it soften to room temperature. Next, lightly butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bread torn into small chunks on cutting board

Tear or cut bread into ½" cubes; drain the pineapple 

Sugar, eggs and butter in aluminum mixing bowl with fork

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:)

Pineapple and bread cubes added to sugar mixture

Add bread, drained crushed (or diced) pineapple and shredded cheddar cheese; mix it all together and put it a lightly greased baking dish; cover with foil and bake

In about 50-minutes, the pineapple casserole is done. If you want a crispy brown topping, pop it under the broiler for 3 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

You can serve this yummy side hot or warm..oh heck... you can even serve it as dessert!

Tips

  • Drain the crushed pineapple well; use crushed or diced pineapple chunks--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" casserole 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 topping 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

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. 

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 Southern pineapple casserole?

Nobody really knows who invented this sweet Southern Pineapple Casserole recipe. Perhaps by the Dole™ pineapple company?

Spoonful of pineapple casserole being scooped out

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 Southern 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 in turquoise baking dish

Pineapple Casserole

Southern vintage recipe that features pineapple in a savory, sweet combination with sharp cheddar cheese
5 from 10 votes
Print Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Total Yield: 8 servings
Author: Anecia Hero
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

  • 40 ounces Crushed Pineapple , drained
  • 1 stick 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
    1 stick Butter, 2 cups Sugar, 4 whole Eggs
  • Add torn bread, pineapple and cheese to butter mixture
    40 ounces Crushed Pineapple, 4 cups Bread, 2 cups Cheddar cheese
  • Pour mixture into lightly greased baking dish
  • Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes @ 350ºF
  • Remove and let rest for 15 minutes before serving (See Recipe Notes for Crunchy Topping)

Notes

Bread:
  • 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
Crunchy topping:
If you want a crunchy top, after casserole is cooked thoroughly, place baking dish back into oven under the Broiler for about 2-3 minutes
Yield:
This recipe yields about 4 cups total. Most large serving spoons are about ½ cup, so you can estimate that you'd get about 8 ½-cup servings. 
If you're serving this to a large group, either double the recipe or, use a smaller serving spoon
 

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1servingCalories: 916kcalCarbohydrates: 131gProtein: 20gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 995mgPotassium: 427mgFiber: 7gSugar: 77gVitamin A: 1068IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 397mgIron: 5mg
Craving More? Pin it and Share!Mention @SmartyPantsKitchen or tag #smartypantskitchen!
Join the Facebook group!Mention @SmartyPantsKitchen or tag #smartypantskitchen!

More Favorite Southern Side Dishes

  • Southern Speckled Butter Beans
  • Maple Pecan Carrot Souffle
  • Copper Penny Carrot Slaw
  • What to Serve with Tamales

Reader Interactions

I'd love to hear from you! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Anecia Hero, Food Blogger

About SmartyPantsKitchen

I'm Anecia, a native Texan, author, cook and photographer for SmartyPantsKitchen where I'm sharing Traditional and Contemporary Southern recipes for cooks of all levels. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about my recipes-just easy, simple, delicious and memorable! Take a tour and check out delicious recipes! 

Learn more about me →

Texas Recipes

  • Texas Chili
  • Original Texas Sheet Cake
  • Sausage Cream Gravy
  • Classic Southern Pecan Pie
  • Southern Chicken Fried Steak
  • Fresh Apple Cake

Brunch

  • Foolproof Quiche
  • Easy Sausage Balls
  • Smoked Tomato Bisque (Low-Sodium)
  • Low Carb Crustless Quiche Recipe
  • Spinach Feta Pie
  • Shrimp Saganaki (Baked Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta)

Reader Favorites

  • Restaurant-Quality Fried Catfish
  • Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce
  • Fish and Chips: No Beer Batter
  • Southern Cream Gravy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and recipes

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2018-2022 SmartyPantsKitchen.com