Hot Pimento Cheese Dip

Photo from Homemade
Hooplah

It's Sunday dinner time, and the Braspirs are hosting this week's gathering! I volunteered to bring an appetizer, and with pulled pork on the menu, my brain immediately went SOUTHERN. Naturally, that led me straight to biscuits and gravy. Delicious? Absolutely. Appropriate appetizer? Not so much. 

Time to consult the appetizer recipe collection! That's when I stumbled across this pimento cheese dip, and I knew I'd found my winner. It's got that Southern charm, requires very little effort, and seemed like the kind of thing people would happily dig into before dinner.

There's really not much to this recipe. The only advance planning required is remembering to take the cream cheese out of the fridge so it can soften. Then you'll want to give yourself enough time to pop the dip in the oven before everyone arrives. That's about as complicated as it gets!

I did make one little adjustment. The recipe calls for pepper jack cheese, but since we had someone coming who is sensitive to spicy foods, I swapped it out for Monterey Jack instead. It worked perfectly, and nobody missed the extra kick.

Easy to throw together, packed with flavor, and a crowd-pleaser to boot! This Southern-inspired appetizer was a hit, and I'm calling that a successful Sunday dinner contribution. Now, if only biscuits and gravy could figure out how to become an appetizer...

Hot Pimento Cheese Dip

Recipe from Homemade Hooplah

Serves 6

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 pinch salt, to taste
• 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup sliced pimentos, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray, then set aside.

Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer + large bowl), whip mayonnaise, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, ground mustard, salt, and pepper on medium-high speed until mostly smooth, about 3-5 minutes.

Remove bowl from mixer and add cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, pimentos, and green onion to bowl. Use a spatula to gently fold all ingredients together until thoroughly mixed.

Pour cheese mixture into prepared baking dish and gently smooth out top so that it's flat.

Bake dip for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve as desired.