The Southern Staple That Makes A Perfectly Creamy Chili Topper

For such a classic dish, it's surprising how many versions there are when it comes to chili. Across the United States, regional variations mean that you can cook your way across the country just by making different types of chili. Whether you prefer Colorado green chili, bean-filled Oklahoma chili, spicy Texas-style chili con carne, or Cincinnati-style chili, which often has spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, southern pimento cheese works wonderfully as a topping. While the spread, traditionally made from shredded cheese, mayonnaise, spices, and diced pimentos, is best known as a sandwich filling at the Masters and beyond, adding it to chili makes for a creamy, rich combination that's hard to resist.

There are multiple reasons why the combination of pimento cheese on chili works across different styles of chili. It's all about contrasts and complementary flavors. Both chili and pimento cheese are rich and savory but wildly different from each other. The cooling pimento cheese serves to balance a hot bowl of spicy chili, while the pimentos in the spread pick up the flavors of the peppers commonly used in many chili recipes. While Cincinnati chili is typically served with shredded cheddar cheese, pimento cheese has more depth of flavor, and its creamy texture means you can easily mix it into the chili itself.

Whatever your preferred chili recipe, once you've whipped up a batch, surely all that's left to do is top it with pimento cheese and dig in, right? Well, that's certainly a possibility, but it's not the only one. Most chili variations are served with some sort of carbohydrate, and the options of which to use for pimento cheese-topped chili are many. For instance, if your chili recipe is Cincinnati-style, you may want to serve it up on top of spaghetti, with pimento cheese finishing it off, for a bold take on a Skyline Chili three-way.

On the other hand, given that pimento cheese is a southern staple (even though the South's most iconic cheese actually comes from up North), it can go well with another classic southern dish that pairs famously with chili: cornbread. Due to cornbread's crumbly texture, you'll want to serve it beside or on top of, as opposed to underneath, the chili. The slightly sweet flavor adds a welcome note of contrast with the chili and pimento cheese. Alternatively, try using chili with pimento cheese to give baked potatoes a hearty upgrade, scoop up the combination with crisp saltines, or serve it over a bowl of white or brown rice.