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Wacky Layered Jello Salad

I love jello salad in almost all forms. I draw the line at jellied meats, but when it comes to desserts I love experimenting with all kinds of recipes. For this layered salad I prepared a raspberry and apricot jello with pineapple and banana mixed in.

If you were wondering, yep, that’s cheese on top. Does your family with their own version of crazy jello salad? I’m really curious to hear details.

A layer of mini marshmallows sits on top of the jello, with a homemade pudding like topping over that. Sprinkle freshly grated cheddar cheese on top and you are all set to go.

Of course, if you really hate the idea of cheese,  you can skip it. But I would urge you to at least try a bite of it with some cheese on top to see what you think.

For an alternative to the pudding layer, I would recommend the filling I used for the Boston Cream Whoopie Pies. It is fantastic and a bit less work if you are in a hurry. Enjoy!

Wacky Layered Jello Salad
Makes a 9×13″ pan, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

  • Fruit Layer:
  • 2 boxes (3 oz. each) fruit jello, flavors of your choice (I used apricot and raspberry)
  • 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), juice reserved
  • 1 cup fruit, your choice (I used 1 cup sliced bananas, which was 2 medium bananas)
  • 1 (10 ounce) bag mini marshmallows
  • Topping Layer:
  • orange juice (amount varies, but roughly 1/4 cup)
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • Plus:
  • 1 cup whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with a spoonful of sugar or 8 oz. cool whip
  • Garnish:
  • 1-2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese (It is important that it is freshly grated for best results)
Directions:
  1. Prepare both 3 oz. boxes of jello according to the package. 
  2. Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving the juice. Add the pineapple chunks to the jello, along with the additional 1 cup of fruit of your choice. Pour into a 9×13″ glass dish. 
  3. Cover the jello layer with the mini marshmallows and refrigerate to gel.
  4. Add enough orange juice to the reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup juice total. Pour this into a sauce pan. Add sugar, flour, and beaten egg. Cook over medium heat until thickened and pudding like, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Once it is room temperature, transfer to the fridge.
  5. After the jello has set up for a few hours, whip the whipping cream, sugar, and lemon juice until soft peaks form when you lift the beaters out of the whipping cream. Fold into the cooled pudding mixture. Stir until combined, if necessary use a handheld mixer for a few seconds until the two mixtures mix smoothly. Smooth this mixture on top of the mini marshmallow layer. Garnish with freshly grated cheddar cheese. Chill until ready to serve.
Recipe adapted from Hey Paw! What’s for supper?

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2 Comments

  1. About the cheese, which I know will be amazing! For special dinners my mom would often top a lettuce leaf with pineapple slices, a dollop of mayonnaise and grated cheddar cheese. I was delicious!

    1. I've always wanted to try that flightmuffin 🙂 I love retro style recipes that our parents and grandparents made.