This quirky pineapple cheese casserole may seem strange to some readers, but it's a tried and tested dish in many Southern states. It's quick and easy to prepare, in fact, if you have the ingredients ready to go, you should be able to put our baked pineapple casserole recipe together in as little as 5 or 10 minutes, with another 25 or 30 minutes needed for cooking.

The only equipment you'll need is a casserole dish - we find a medium cast iron casserole dish is perfect for this pineapple casserole - and a can opener for the pineapples (if you don't have ring pull cans!).

Ingredients

(To serve around 8 people)

• 1 cup of white granulated sugar
• 6 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cups grated cheese (sharp cheddar or similar)
• 2 cans pineapple chunks or scalloped pineapple (40 oz in total)
• 1 cup salted crackers broken into crumbs (e.g. Ritz crackers)
• 1 stick of butter

Method

• First, preheat your oven to 350F before you prepare the baked pineapple casserole.
• Next, drain your canned pineapple chunks, making sure to keep at least 6 tbsp of the juice for later.
• Grease your casserole dish with butter, covering the base and sides evenly.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar, then mix in the grated cheese. When you have a consistent mixture, stir in your pineapple chunks. Pour the mixture out into your casserole dish.
• In a second bowl, mix together your cracker crumbs with a stick of melted butter, and the juice left over from the canned pineapple. Use this mixture to top your pineapple casserole, spreading it evenly over the pineapple chunks.
• Bake the casserole at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until a golden brown crust has formed on the top.