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Frogs Eye Salad

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Submitted by sharon293

Frog eye salad with acini de pepe pasta, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and whipped topping in a sweet pineapple custard dressing. The classic Mormon potluck dessert salad.

YIELD

5 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

15 min

READY

2 hrs

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

Ingredients

Dressing
1 237
CUP ML SUGAR
2 30
TABLESPOONS ML ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
½ 2.5
TEASPOON ML SALT
1 237
1 1
LARGE EACH EGG
1 5
TEASPOON ML LEMON JUICE
Salad
1 237
CUP ML ANCI DE PEPI
uncooked *
1 1
CAN CAN MANDARIN ORANGES *
1 1
CAN CAN PINEAPPLE TID-BIT *
1 1
CAN CAN PINEAPPLE
crushed *
½ 118
CUP ML COCONUT
optional *

Directions

Make dressing by combining the first six ingredients in a saucepan.

Cook over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly.

Cook until mixture is thick.

Cook acini de pepe according to package directions.

Drain, rinse and cool to room temperature.

Mix with dressing.

Drain fruit and fold into macaroni mixture.

Add whipped topping and coconut (if desired).

Serve cold.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 134g (4.7 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 289 21% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 7g 10%
Saturated Fat 5g 26%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 38mg 13%
Sodium 272mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 19%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Sugars g
Protein 5g
Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 37%
Calcium 3% Iron 3%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free
 

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