Throwback Recipe for the Holidays: Pineapple Casserole
I distinctly remember the first time I read through my grandmother’s “Holiday Pineapple Casserole.” Pineapple, Saltine crackers, and cheddar cheese? What is this madness? Needless to say, I was ready to add that to the list of do-not-make recipes cluttering my bookshelf space. Luckily, my own mother convinced me otherwise. (Really she insisted that we make it to pair with a glazed ham on Christmas a few years ago.) When I skeptically tried a bite of the casserole alongside a piece of delicious dijon-maple glazed ham, I was actually shocked. Not only was the casserole not bad, I loved it. After a fair amount of tinkering with the recipe to bring it into the 21st century (sorry, grandma, no one uses Oleo anymore!), this sweet-savory-tangy recipe has become one of my go-to holiday meal staples. And oh man, is it delicious alongside glazed spiral ham.
Looking for a new recipe for one of your upcoming holiday feasts? Give this one a try. It’s a great throwback recipe to surprise your guests.
Ingredients
1 pineapple, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
Pineapple juice, reserved
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Saltine crackers, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
4 tbsp. butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 9x9 baking dish.
Combine chopped pineapple and cheese. In a separate bowl, combine crushed saltine crackers, sugar, flour, and melted butter. Add extra pineapple juice as needed to moisten mixture thoroughly.
Add 3/4 of Saltine mixture into pineapple and cheese mixture.
Place in a prepared dish and sprinkle the remainder of the Saltine mixture over the top of casserole; bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes. Turn up heat to 400° and bake 5-10 more minutes to brown top.
Wine Pairing
Try an oaky, creamy Chardonnay from California. The ripe tropical fruits flavors and creamy texture of the wine will make for a truly decadent pairing.
DCanter recommendation: Waterstone Carneros Chardonnay 2013
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