As I now reside firmly above the Mason-Dixon Line, when I prepare Pineapple Casserole, it is met with curiosity and confusion, but in the south this is a popular dish, especially around Easter. Our family’s recipe is different from the others I have come across though. The most common forms of Pineapple Casserole feature pineapple chunks, cheddar cheese, and ritz cracker crumbs. Not ours.
For this simple dish, we use crushed pineapple and eggs for the base, along with a bit of flour and sugar, so it turns out like a fruity custard. The mixture is topped off with fresh bread cubes and then drenched in butter and baked until golden brown.
This casserole can be made a day in advance, if you are preparing a holiday meal, but my recommendation would be to only prepare the pineapple base and store that, covered, in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, store the cubed bread in a sealed container on your countertop and assemble and top with butter just before baking.
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PinDescription
Warm, golden brown buttery bread cubes, crisped on the top and soft and spoonable underneath, with the sweet fruity flavor of pineapple shining through a custard-like base.
Ingredients
- 20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
- 3 eggs 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- several slices of fresh white bread, cubed*
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat eggs in a medium bowl and add in flour, sugar, and the drained pineapple. Blend well until sugar is dissolved and pour into a casserole dish.**
- Place cubed bread evenly over the top of the pineapple mixture. Spoon melted butter over the bread.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown on top.
Notes
- (*)Depending on how thick the bread is that you are using, you may need from 2-5 slices of bread. Just make sure you have enough to generously cover the casserole. We have used both classic white sandwich bread and crusty Italian bread with equal success.
- (**)To save time cleaning, you can skip the bowl and mix the casserole right in a baking dish. Baking dishes can range from 9″ x 13″ bakers to shallow round or oval dishes.
Keywords: easy holiday side dish pineapple casserole
Does your family have a signature holiday dish? Besides this Pineapple Casserole, another one of our staples is Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole, which makes for heavenly leftovers if you are lucky enough to have any left over that is!
