Get ready for the best side dish you’ve never heard of: pineapple casserole!
We’ve all got Easter recipes we make every year. My family does a big spiral ham as the star, which means at least one of our Easter side dishes is pineapple. Which, don’t get me wrong, goes great with the ham — but I’ve always been on the hunt for something MORE.
Enter pineapple casserole! It’s everything you want as a side dish — and if you add a scoop of ice cream, you’ve got a treat for the Easter dessert recipes books!
Ready? Let’s bake!
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What I Love About This Recipe
The thing I love most is that pineapple casserole is still such an unusual side dish to serve! It makes everyone perk up and take notice — and the flavor will knock them over to boot!
- Side dish + dessert all in one
- Goes GREAT with spiral ham!
- Easter flavors gone wild
- Crowd-pleasing WOW!
How To Make Pineapple Casserole Recipe
This casserole is so simple! Start with a 350-degree oven and a prepared baking dish. Mix together your sugar and flour, then toss your pineapple chunks in the mixture. In a separate bowl, crush your crackers and mix with melted butter.
Pour the pineapple mixture into your baking dish, sprinkle with cheese, and top with the crackers/butter. Bake until the cheese is perfectly melted!
Don’t forget to top with cherries!
Pineapple Cheese Casserole Recipe Notes
Simple ingredients, simple steps, simply the best side dish you’ll have this Easter!
Tips For Making The Perfect Pineapple Casserole
Since this is likely your first time making this casserole, I’ve got some tips to make sure your side dish is secretly a STAR!
Baking Dish:Â Be sure to get the correct size baking dish! The last thing you need is the pineapple juice overflowing during the baking process and burning in your oven.
Do Not Cover:Â Most casseroles have you cover your dish for the baking process — not this one! You want the pineapple and cheese open to the oven’s heat so you get as much caramelization as you can. If you still want more, you can always turn your broiler on and let it crisp up the topping!
Baked Pineapple Casserole Ingredient Notes
There are a few things you should know before you start baking!
Pineapple:Â If you can’t find canned pineapple (or want to use fresh!) there’s a simple way to convert fresh to canned: a blender! Popping freshly cut pineapple into a blender will get it to the desired consistency.
Sugar:Â Pineapple comes packed with a lot of deliciously sweet sugars, so if you want to exclude the extra sugar, feel free. Be warned though that you might not get as much caramelization!
Cheese:Â It’s important that you use a bold-flavored cheese in this casserole to stand up to the sweetness of the pineapple, which is why I use cheddar. But feel free to use other bold cheeses — I love Red Leicester!
Storing Tips
What should you do with your pineapple casserole leftovers? Read on!
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! You can freeze your pineapple casserole for up to two months — but be warned, a lot of the texture will change. The crackers will get soggy and the caramelized bits will lose their structure.
To reheat, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake it off in the oven until the crackers and sugars come back to life!
Pineapple Ritz Casserole Make Ahead Tips
There isn’t much you can do in the way of prep for this — no one wants gummy flour-covered pineapple! — but you can assemble the full casserole and bake it once your guests arrive. An assembled casserole can sit in the fridge for up to a day.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Once cooked, you’ll get a week out of your casserole leftovers in the fridge. You can rejuvenate them in the same way you did when it was frozen — pop them in the oven and let the heat do its magic!
Recipe Variations
What other casseroles can we whip up for an unforgettable Easter feast? Let’s have fun!
Can I Partner This Recipe With Deviled Eggs?
It just isn’t Easter without deviled eggs! I love making extra into a deviled egg salad. And bring on even more pork with deviled eggs with bacon!
What Other Easter Recipes Can I Bake In A Casserole?
You could have an entire casserole buffet for Easter if you wanted! Green bean casserole is savory and creamy; brussel sprout casserole takes the leafy green to new heights; sweet potato casserole is fluffy and decadently candy-sweet!
What Other Recipes Can I Make With My Excess Pineapples?
Don’t toss your extra pineapple! You’ll love pineapple coleslaw to top off your summer barbecue sandwiches, or cherry pineapple dump cake as an evening treat. Or even go for a springtime veggie dessert and make a carrot cake with pineapple!
Pineapple Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained, and 15 pieces reserved for garnish
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups crushed Ritz Crackers
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 3 maricshino cherries, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sugar and flour. Toss pineapple chunks in flour mixture to coat well.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and sprinkle cheese evenly over top.
- In a small mixing bowl stir together crushed crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, 25-35 minutes or until topping is golden and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes. Garinsh with reserved pineapple tidbits and cheeries in a flower pattern and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
More Easter Dessert Recipes
Need more Easter desserts to round out your meal? Here are my favorites!
Conclusion
Easter dinner will never be the same again thanks to this unique, flavorful pineapple casserole! Who knew ham was missing such a yummy sidekick?
What did your family think of this pineapple casserole recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Our new go-to pineapple recipe. We loved it
Yaaay! Thanks, Charlie 🙂
Can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned? We prefer the taste of fresh.
Would I need to adjust the sugar amount if I did use fresh?
Suzie. Hi I haven’t developed this recipe to use fresh pineapple. Yes, surely you can use it. Adding more sugar will most likely depend on how ripe and sweet your fresh pineapple is. Fresh pineapple may be a bit firmer also. You might wish to cook it a little longer so the finished dish it’s not too firm. Again, it depends on how ripe the fresh pineapple is <3
Do you include the juice from the canned pineapple? Or just the bits.
Hi Lee. Just the tidbits. I drain them in a sieve set over the sink but don’t press down on the fruit or wrap it in towels so there will be a little bit of juice that clings to the fruit. I hope that helps. This is such a delicious dish I hope you enjoy!!