Watch the whole process on Tik Tok
Like similar Southern dishes, this Jello salad with mandarin oranges and crushed pineapple is considered a salad. Perhaps there’s less guilt associated with eating something with “salad” in the name? But this is a sweet salad. Not to be confused with a plate-of-greens-and-veggies salad. And it always (always!) sparks a debate as to when to serve the dish. Should you serve it as part of the meal? Serve it as a dessert or perhaps even breakfast? Traditionally my family has always served it as part of the meal. But you can be a rebel and serve it however you want to roll! If you looked at the ingredient list and thought YUCK cottage cheese…well you aren’t alone! I have never been a fan of cottage cheese but for some reason I gave it a chance with this recipe and I think the creaminess of the salad kind of won me over. Well, that and the juicy bitefuls of mandarin oranges and pineapple. Yum!
Orange + Pineapple Jello Salad
INGREDIENTS
1 can 8 oz crushed pineapple
1 can 11 oz mandarin oranges in light syrup
1 box sugar free orange Jello
24 oz low fat cottage cheese
8 oz light cool whip
DIRECTIONS
1. Drain pineapple and orange cans. Crush oranges and drain again. This is a VERY important step!
2. Combine drained oranges and pineapple to large bowl and add jello mix. Mix together.
3. Add cottage cheese and mix until bright orange.
4. Gently fold in cool whip, cover, let sit in fridge for a couple of hours and then ENJOY!
The one mistake I sometimes make is not draining the mandarin oranges and pineapple well enough. You REALLY want to make sure they are both well drained of juice (especially after crushing the oranges!) or not your salad will become too ‘juicy.’
I personally love this salad as a side dish during the summer time since it is so light and refreshing. This dish is a great source of protein as well so even though it tastes like a dessert, you can be guilt free if you find yourself sneaking a bite every time you open the fridge ;)
What do you think of this recipe? Is this something you would try? What would you serve it with? Let me know your thoughts in the comments :)
xoxo
-B
Remember, whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend never had a good pair of leggings or a dog