Classic Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe

Pimento Cheese is a classic southern staple that’s easy to make using only three ingredients.  Made with cheddar cheese, pimentos and mayo, it is delicious as a spread, pimento cheese dip or sandwich! You can spread it on crackers or use it as a dip for veggies or chips.

One of the most popular ways of using pimento cheese is for the spread in the classic Pimento Cheese sandwich – two slices of basic white bread with the creamy cheesy filling.

It’s pretty much irresistible and you can easily make it at home, thanks to Chef Mary Grace at Village Tavern who “grace-ously” shared the restaurants famous recipe with me/us.

I love that they serve really fresh food-like everything is made from scratch – which means when I eat their Pimento Cheese appetizer, I know exactly what went into making it so good!

How To Make Village Tavern’s Pimento Cheese

You only need three items to make this tasty appetizer that can pull double-duty as a sandwich spread.

• Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
• mayonnaise
• pimientos 

As you can see above, Village Tavern uses quality ingredients.  That’s Kerrygold Dubliner 100% Natural Cheese.  It forms the base of the Pimento Cheese.

You start by grating the cheese.

You then place the grated cheese in a large bowl with pimentos and mayonnaise.    Blend the three ingredients together well and then it’s ready.

If you don’t feel like making Village Tavern’s Pimento Cheese, you can always drive to one of their 10 locations in the US and enjoy it at the restaurant where it is also scratch-made.

What are ways to serve Pimento Cheese?

Pimento cheese is truly a versatile Southern dish. You can serve it spread on small pieces of bread as a canapé for hors d’oeuvres, as a spread for crackers, or a dip for veggies.

You can eat pimento cheese between two slices of white bread for the classic pimento cheese sandwich, you can take that sandwich and grill it for a luscious grilled cheese sandwich, and you can also top burgers with pimento cheese.

Shoot! I imagine you could stuff jalapeños with pimento cheese and then bake them for a twist on the classic stuffed jalapeños.

With this old-fashioned pimento cheese recipe, you have so many delicious options!

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Other recipes you might enjoy at Southern Kissed:

• Pineapple Habanero Jelly
• Sloppy Joe Dip
• Easy Hot Caprese Dip

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Village Tavern in Birmingham

I was invited to Village Tavern in Birmingham to eat, drink, and work in the kitchen with their Executive Chef.  While there, I was able to create and taste some of their absolutely amazing recipes.

I was greeted by Cedric Castro, the General Manager of the Birmingham location.  (There are 10 locations of Village Tavern in the US and one in the Phillipines.)  He was warm and inviting, as was the restaurant.  Though I would like to think that I was given special attention because of SouthernKissed.com, it was evident that this is how Cedric treats all of his customers.

I was brought to an area prepared for some social media influencers.  There we met Anthony Santarelli, the president and COO of Village Tavern and Corporate Executive Chef Mary Grace Viado Howard.  I could not have met anyone more hospitable than those two and their staff.

After enjoying a glass of La Marca Prosecco, we influencers had the opportunity to make a few of Chef Mary Grace’s recipes alongside her.  We began by coating bacon with brown sugar then start working on homemade pimento cheese and fresh guacamole.  We then took some of the pimento cheese and made deviled eggs.  Once we finished, we sat down and started to sample some of the incredible dishes that are served regularly at Village Tavern.

In addition to the Dip Duo (pimento cheese and fresh guacamole) and Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs (served with Candied Bacon) that we made, we tried Cubano Sliders which are made with hand-pulled pork, Southern-cured ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and sweet and hot mustard.

Throughout the evening we enjoyed several of the wines that are available on their extensive wine list – there are approximately 100 varieties available.  (Tip:  Wednesday is a great day to wine and dine at Village Tavern – wines are half price by the glass.)

I could go on and on about the hospitality and the food, but I know you don’t have all day to read about the Tavern Flatbread that is made with imported Italian flour or the Southern Shrimp and Grits that is made with applewood-smoked bacon and organic ground grits.  Not to mention Steak Au Poivre, an 8-ounce fillet with cracked pepper and their classic cognac cream sauce.  And then there is the Fire Cracker Shrimp Tacos – how I loved those and could eat them everyday.

Dining at Village Tavern was an experience.  It’s an ideal spot to enjoy a romantic dinner or to celebrate a special occasion.  It’s also a great place to just go and unwind, enjoy some appetizers and a glass of wine, or to go on the weekend for brunch.

About Village Tavern

• The Village Tavern opened its doors in 1984 and has been committed to serving the finest, freshest ingredients. (The hashtag #ScratchKitchen is used by them for a reason.
• They serve brunch on Saturdays and Sunday.
• Gluten-free menus are available.
• The Village Tavern has a special Kids Menu that has child favorites such as chicken tenders, cheeseburgers, and cheese pizza. Grilled salmon and prime rib are also available.
• Tavern Bites are $6 each Monday – Friday from 4:00 – 6:30 PM. This would be a great time to try the Dip Duo, Tavern Flatbread, Thai Chicken Nachos, French Dip Sliders, Shrimp Tacos, Caprese, or Habana Mexican-Style Grilled Corn.
• In addition to award winning wines, the Village Tavern also serves draft, craft, and bottled beer.

You can view the menu at VillageTavern.com.  You can connect with Village Tavern on Facebook | Twitter | and Instagram.

I’d like to thank everyone at the Village Tavern for their hospitality and allowing me to sample so many of their delicious dishes.