Match Made in Heaven: Fried Green Tomatoes & Pimento Cheese

Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches with Lone Stars on a hot summer day. PERFECT.

Sliced green tomatoes (purple cherokee heirloom variety).

 This all started more than a year, when Ryan and I took a staycation. After a little bit of bickering about what to do for lunch (I'm the picky one), we wound up at a trailer called Fried Green Tomato and all was well with the world. We enjoyed these unbelievably delicious, perfectly Southern, summery sandwiches loaded with homemade pimento cheese and the trailer's namesake. Ryan's even had bacon and ranch dressing on it. Mmm-hmmm.

Nothin' more Southern than frying some stuff in your cast iron skillet.

So when I picked a couple of pounds of green tomatoes from our vines, I planned on a weekend lunch to recreate the best part of that day. Let me tell you, fried green tomatoes and homemade pimento cheese are ah-maz-ing together. Add a little Cholula and some fresh slices of cucumber and jalapenos, and you have yourself a real bonafide Southern meal.

I used a very basic recipe (the first match from Google; it seemed reputable) for the fried green tomatoes, and we both agreed that next time I should slice them thinner (maybe 1/4 inch instead of the nearly 1/2 inch called for in the recipe).

As for the pimento cheese, I have my own version that's pretty tasty. And, shockingly, it's slightly healthier than traditional pimento cheese.

Day two, still delicious.

Less Mayo Pimento Cheese

1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
1 4-ounce can diced pimentos, drained
1 fresh jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1 tablespoon real mayonaise
salt and pepper to taste

No real brain work here: Just mix all the ingredients together. If it's a little too creamy, just add more cheese.

Fried Green Tomato and Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
makes 4 sandwiches

1 recipe Less Mayo Pimento Cheese, above
1/2 recipe Fried Green Tomatoes
8 slices whole-grain bread
sliced fresh cucumber, sliced fresh jalapenos, and Cholula for garnish


Assemble the sandwich: a quarter-cup dollop of pimento cheese (or more!), a few cucumber slices and jalapenos if you're feeling spicy, and then the fried green tomato—one large slice per sandwich.

Cut in half and enjoy with a cold beer in the middle of the day.