Table for One - Grilled Homemade Pimento Cheese

by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Oct 22nd 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Sarah LeTrent.

Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."

Oh, beloved pimento cheese; the Southeast's answer to cheese dip and queso.

The bright-orange spread is nothing more than extra-sharp cheddar, mayonnaise, diced pimiento peppers and cracked black pepper. Homemade pimento cheese is a snap to make and leftovers are a cracker's best friend. You could spruce up the spread with serrano peppers, garlic, cayenne, different types of cheese or even bacon. But to most, nothing is better than the classic four-ingredient mix between two pieces of bread.

Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich

2 1/2 cups sharp-cheddar cheese, grated
4-ounce jar pimentos, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
Cracked black pepper, to taste
2 slices white, wheat or rye bread
1 tablespoon butter

Combine the pimentos and black pepper in a bowl with the grated cheese. Then stir in the mayonnaise, mashing the mixture with a fork until relatively smooth. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to meld.

Preheat a pan over medium heat. Spread a generous layer of the cheese mixture between two slices of bread.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and cook one side of the sandwich until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, pressing down with a metal spatula to help it sear. Flip and cook the other side until golden brown and the cheese starts to melt, about 3 minutes more.

Filed Under: Features
Tags: cheese, grilled cheese, grilled cheese sandwich, GrilledCheese, GrilledCheeseSandwich, Pimento cheese, PimentoCheese, PimientoCheese, sandwiches, southern food, SouthernFood, Table for One, TableForOne, the lee bros., TheLeeBros.