Scalloped Pineapple with ham

Okay, “Pineapple Stuff” is not the actual name of this recipe, it’s technically called Scalloped Pineapple (think scalloped potatoes, not seafood). But I, in my infinite wisdom as a child dubbed this dish Pineapple Stuff and as thus it will be known forever. I guess you can call this Pineapple Casserole as I think that’s a bit more descriptive. This is probably my favorite recipe in the whole wide world and has been since I was a kid. It was my mom’s signature dish, which she served at all the dinner parties and all the pot lucks and which everyone raved about. I’ve made it a million times at this point, but I don’t think mine has ever tasted as good as when she made it. I guess that’s just how it goes, but that certainly doesn’t stop me from making it.

This is not a dessert, it’s a side dish. My mom always served it with ham because it’s the perfect compliment. Since we had turkey for Thanksgiving, we always had ham for Christmas, so besides being my favorite dish, it also reminds me of Christmas (hmmm…maybe that’s why it’s my favorite dish). It’s sweet and buttery and definitely not for the (literal) faint of heart, but that’s why you serve it on special occasions like Christmas.

The problem with this recipe is that it doesn’t inspire confidence in people when I tell them about it. Even when you are putting all the ingredients together, you may think this is iffy, but you just have to take my word for it that it will turn out delicious. I’ve proved it to my friends and my boyfriend and all the people at the Christmas dinner party a few years ago, who were like “pineapple what?” at the beginning and going back for seconds later.

Besides having to tear up a bunch of bread, this stuff is dead simple to make, doesn’t have many ingredients, and is impossible to mess up. What more could you want in a dish?

Scalloped Pineapple with ham

Scalloped Pineapple AKA Pineapple Stuff

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from Back to the Cutting Board

Side Dish, Casserole | Servings: 8 to 10
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 1 hour | Total time: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 4 cups finely torn, and packed down, white bread (I just buy a loaf of the generic white bread at the grocery store)
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. milk

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Butter or spray a 13×9 casserole dish.
  2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
  3. Add crushed pineapple and mix on low just until incorporated.
  4. Fold in the beaten eggs.
  5. Fold in bread and stir with wooden spoon until moistened and well incorporated.
  6. Pour into prepared dish. Spread milk over the top to moisten. Bake about an 1 hour, until the edges start to get crispy and the top is a lightly browned. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.