Frogs Eye Salad

This is a beloved Utah-and-Idaho potluck classic, a sweet pasta-and-fruit “salad” that’s really more of a dessert. The name comes from the tiny acini de pepe pasta, those round little pearls that swell in the dressing and look (a little) like frog eyes amid the citrus and pineapple chunks.

The dressing is the workhorse, a simple custard cooked from sugar, flour, pineapple juice, egg, and a hit of lemon juice. As it boils and thickens it forms a glossy sweet base that coats every pasta pearl. Cooling the pasta to room temp before mixing keeps the eggs from scrambling on contact.

Folding in whipped topping at the end lightens the whole thing into something cloudlike, while drained mandarin oranges and pineapple give bright pops of acidic fruit against the sweet base. A handful of coconut is the optional tropical kicker.

Pro Tips

• Drain the canned fruit really thoroughly. Excess juice waters down the dressing and turns the salad runny
• Make the dressing the day before, it needs to chill completely before the pasta soaks in it
• Cook the acini de pepe just to al dente, mushy pasta loses its signature “frog eye” texture
• This salad gets better overnight, the pasta swells and the flavors marry into something far better than fresh

Variations

• Add a cup of mini marshmallows for extra sweetness and old-school nostalgia
• Stir in chopped maraschino cherries for color and a kid-friendly festive look
• Use sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix instead of the cooked dressing for a quick shortcut version