Pineapple Casserole

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A North American classic, this wacky concoction of fruit, cheese, and crackers might seem strange, but it is totally worth it. Bake this for your next potluck, or just as a side dish for your next big dinner!

For more fun ways to use pineapple in recipes why not try making a Pineapple Cheese Ball? Or a Cream Cheese Pineapple Pie!

Pineapple Casserole

Though you won’t really find any instances of pineapple casserole outside of North America, it is one of those dishes that absolutely has its place in the modern kitchen.

Made up of super simple pantry ingredients, this is the kind of thing that you can whip up on short notice to bring to a family event without embarrassing yourself.

It should be savory, sweet, crunchy, and super cheesy all at once, making it super tasty, despite its weird medley of ingredients.       

What To Do If You Can’t Find Ritz Crackers

Ritz crackers are one of the most reliable and dependable crackers out there for pretty much any purpose. Capable of providing nearly endless crunch, as well as a good amount of rich, oily goodness, Ritz crackers are the perfect substance to crumble all over your casserole.

However, if you can’t find the wonderful Ritz crackers no matter how hard you try, you can always substitute a few alternatives instead.

Ritz crackers are basically just butter cracker, so any other kind of cracker labeled as a butter or oil cracker would work perfectly here.

This means things like Club Crackers will work here, but you could also add your own fat.

Mixing in some butter or lard into some crumbled up Saltines, for example, would give you pretty much the same texture and flavor.

How To Easily Tell When Your Casserole Is Cooked

This casserole might be a little bit tricky to tell when exactly it has finished cooking.

While you could certainly just watch the Ritz crackers and pull them out when the crackers look suitably browned, you might have turned your oven on too hot, resulting in the interior of the casserole still being too cold.

Instead, keep an eye around the edges of the casserole, and watch for any bubbling liquid. If the whole thing is suitably heated through, not only will the top be nice and crusty, but the interior will be bubbling, and the cheese will have melted and turned gooey.

Another great test is to reach in with a big spoon and lift out a chunk and see if it is gooey, melty, and steaming, but that would probably ruin the texture of the rest of the casserole, so it would probably be best to avoid that.

Different Ways To Serve Your Pineapple Casserole

This dish is definitely among the more esoteric North American delicacies out there. While it was originally designed to take advantage of the rising popularity of canned pineapples, it is also just generally really weird, considering it is a mixture of pineapple, flour, and cheese, all topped with crackers.

However, this unique blend of acidity, cheese, and crunchy topping makes this strange casserole a surprisingly versatile dish.

You could serve it as a side dish for a larger meal, like for example a big ham dinner, or you could serve it entirely on its own!

It could even do quite well as a dessert, so long as you don’t mind your desserts having a touch of cheese and savoriness alongside the sweetness.   

Alternative To Cheddar That Works Great In Pineapple Casserole

Cheddar cheese is a great, dependable cheese to use in this recipe, as not only does it add a ton of salty flavor to the dish, but it helps bind everything together into an ooey, gooey slice.

If you’re not a fan of Cheddar, though, why not try a few cheese alternatives?

• Mozzarella

Mozzarella might not be the most flavorful of cheeses out there, but one thing that is really contributing if you add it to this casserole is an absolute ton of meltiness. If you use this cheese, expect every bite to be packed with stringy, gooey cheese.

• Oaxaca

Oaxaca cheese is a lot like mozzarella, in that it is super melty and stringy. Oaxaca is a lot more flavorful, though, and is the usual cheese used in things like quesadillas in Mexico.

• Monterrey Jack

Monterrey Jack is another cheese a lot like Cheddar, in that it doesn’t melt super well, but it is able to contribute a ton of its own flavor when grated and mixed together really nicely.

Looking for more delicious Side Dish recipes? Try these out:

• Creamy Corn Pudding

• Popovers

• Homemade Texas Toast

Happy Cooking

Love,

Karlynn

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