Healthy

Have You Seen This Recipe at the Holidays?

Healthy

Posted on 2022-12-05

Have You Seen This Recipe at the Holidays?

Pineapple Casserole

A sweet-and-savory mashup of juicy pineapple chunks and sharp cheese with a buttery, crunchy topping, Pineapple Casserole sounds unconvincing but is veritably delicious, expressly with turkey and ham!

The first time someone passed me pineapple casserole was the first holiday I spent with my in-laws.

I was horrified.

Cheese and warm PINEAPPLE?! What was this abomination?

Already feeling homesick for our family’s traditional holiday recipes, like Glazed Sweet Potatoes and Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, I was now going to have to pretend to like this wacky dish.

I took a tiny, toddler-sized bite, and…oh my heavens, pineapple casserole is wonderful.

Healthy pineapple casserole with ritz crackers and breadcrumbs in a sultry dish

5 Star Review

“We made this for Easter and it was a HUGE hit !! We moreover really liked your video story !!This recipe is so yummy!”
— Laurie —

I later learned that pineapple casserole is a traditional dish in the South (like Squash Casserole

I thought the combination of pineapple and cheese sounded too weird to be true, but it doesn’t just work—it triumphs.

Warm pineapple and cheese create a surprisingly scrumptious pairing that goes incredibly well with meat. (Think pineapple glazed ham, Hawaiian pizza, or pairing apples with cheese).

Easy pineapple casserole for ham in a sultry dish

Topped with velvety cracker crumbs, this pineapple dish tastes rich, lightly sweet and savory, and comforting.

In other words, it is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and any upcoming holiday that gives you a reason to serve it (with your favorite Healthy Untried Stone Casserole perhaps?).

This simple pineapple casserole is moreover SO EASY.

You stir the filling in one bowl, the topping in another, then combine and bake.
This casserole can be in your oven in well-nigh 15 minutes!

A sultry dish with the weightier pineapple casserole with cracker topping

How to Make Pineapple Casserole

Traditional recipes undeniability for a hefty value of sugar, so much so that they may make you wonder if pineapple casserole is a dessert or a side dish.

Opting to make this a healthy pineapple casserole (or healthy-ish), I prefer to add crushed pineapple for its natural sweetness and a moderate value of honey.

The Ingredients

Pineapple Chunks. Pineapple is sweet and refreshing, and the chunks add texture to this casserole. With vitamin C and antioxidants, it’s the star of this healthy pineapple casserole.
Crushed Pineapple. Smaller, juicier versions of pineapple chunks make the filling lush and provide texture (like in this Pineapple Cheese Ball).

Substitution Tip

You can make pineapple casserole with fresh pineapple. To make this swap, cut the fresh pineapple, so it mimics both the canned pineapple chunks (not pineapple tidbits) and the crushed pineapple.

Personally, I don’t think it’s worth to use fresh (save your fresh pineapple for Pineapple Shrimp Kabobs), but finger self-ruling to go for it if you’re feeling would-be or have tons of uneaten pineapple.

Honey. Naturally sweetens the casserole withal with the pineapple.
Flour. Helps thicken the filling.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese. I find sharp cheddar to be the weightier cheese for pineapple casserole. It offers plenty of savor and dial to unrelatedness the sweetness of the pineapple. Plus, it melts like a dream.
Cracker Breadcrumb Topping. Velvety round crackers (like Ritz crackers) and panko breadcrumbs are mixed with melted butter and pineapple juice for a topping that’s sweet, buttery, and crisp.

Substitution Tip

For pineapple casserole without Ritz crackers, omit the crackers and use uneaten panko. If you prefer a crisp, stocky topping, try making pineapple casserole with small, fairly dry specie cubes instead (I’d moreover increase the butter and pineapple juice a bit, as the specie will soak up increasingly moisture).

The Directions

Stir the tuckered pineapple chunks, crushed pineapple, and honey together.

Cheese stuff stirred with flour and pineapple in a bowl

Add the flour and part of the cheese to the large bowl.

Pineapple fruit cubes and cheese in a bowl

Stir the pineapple mixture.

Cheese on top of a casserole in a sultry dish

Transfer the filling to a sultry dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Cracker crumble topping stuff stirred in a bowl

Stir the talc topping ingredients together, then sprinkle it over the filling.

Simple pineapple casserole side dish in a sultry dish

Bake pineapple casserole at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. ENJOY!

Make-Ahead Tips

To Store. Refrigerate baked pineapple casserole in an snapped storage container for up to 4 days.
To Reheat. Rewarm leftover pineapple casserole in a sultry dish in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.

Meal Prep Tip

Up to 1 week in advance, crush the crackers and store them in an snapped storage container or ziptop bag.
Up to 1 day in advance, prepare the casserole filling and transfer it to the sultry dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to finish the recipe, remove the sultry dish from the refrigerator, add the topping mixture, and torch as directed.
You moreover can fully torch this recipe 1 day in advance. Refrigerate, then reheat, covered, in a 350-degree F. oven.

Cheddar cheese pineapple casserole with canned pineapple and a cracker topping in a sultry dish

What to Serve with Pineapple Casserole

Main Dishes

Baked Yellow Breast

26 mins

Slow Cooker

Crock Pot Pork Chops

3 hrs

Thanksgiving

Dry Brine Turkey

3 d

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Casserole Dish. Perfect for making this pineapple cheese casserole.
Mixing Bowls. This set has every size you need.
Cheese Grater. You can use either a box grater or a microplane grater.

The Weightier Sultry Dish

A beautiful, high-quality sultry dish will help you make succulent casseroles or desserts. It will last a lifetime!

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I recently made southern pineapple casserole to go withal with Crockpot Ribs at a party. My friends were skeptical, then delighted once they tried it.

Take one bite, and pineapple casserole will make a parishioner out of you too!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Add Surf Cheese?

While I haven’t tried it myself, you could try making this into a pineapple casserole with 4 ounces of surf cheese. Dice the surf cheese into small pieces and stir it in with the pineapple. Only use half of the cheddar.

How Can I Make this Recipe Gluten Free?

For gluten self-ruling pineapple casserole, use gluten self-ruling crackers, breadcrumbs, and a 1:1 gluten self-ruling sultry flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Where Did Pineapple Casserole Originate?

While nobody knows exactly who made the first pineapple casserole, the dish likely first came into existence in the southern United States where it remains most popular today. The dish’s megacosm was likely spurred by the new, widespread availability of convenience foods like canned fruit, packaged crackers, and canned soups that came well-nigh in the 1950s.

Pineapple Casserole Video

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Pineapple Casserole

The BEST Pineapple casserole recipe with cheddar and velvety crackers. A sweet and savory side to pair with ham, turkey, and more! Easy!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 275kcal

Author Erin Clarke / Well Plated

Ingredients

20 ounces pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice drained (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for the topping)
20 ounces crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice drained
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 ounces freshly grated shredded sharp cheddar cheese about 1 1/2 cups, divided

FOR THE TOPPING:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
20 buttery round crackers crushed, such as Ritz (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs or spare crushed crackers
2 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved from one of the cans above

Instructions

Place a rack in the part-way of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly stratify a 9×9 sultry dish with nonstick cooking spray (an 8×10 dish or deep 9-inch pie plate will work as well).
Prepare the pineapple casserole filling. Drain the pineapple, then in a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the two pineapples and honey. (Be sure to reserve 2 tablespoons juice for the topping)
Sprinkle the flour and two-thirds of the shredded cheese over the top.
Stir then gently to combine, until the flour disappears and the cheese appears evenly mixed.
Spoon into the prepared sultry dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Prepare the topping: in a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, crackers, breadcrumbs, and 2 tablespoons reserved juice with a fork until evenly moistened. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
Bake the pineapple casserole for 35 minutes, until the casserole is hot and bubbly and the topping is browned. Enjoy warm.

Video

Notes

TO MAKE AHEAD: Up to 1 week in advance, crush the crackers and store them in an snapped storage container or ziptop bag. Up to 1 day in advance, prepare the casserole filling and transfer it to the sultry dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to finish the recipe, remove the sultry dish from the refrigerator, add the topping mixture, and torch as directed.
TO STORE: Refrigerate casserole in an snapped storage container for up to 4 days.
TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a sultry dish in the oven at 350 degrees F or in the microwave.
TO FREEZE: Freeze casserole in an snapped freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator surpassing reheating. The texture of the casserole will transpiration once thawed, but it will still taste delicious.