I first shared this Frog Eye Salad Recipe on Real Housemoms where I am a contributor. Serve Frog Eye Fruit Salad at your next barbecue for a yummy, sweet, fruit filled side dish that will be the talk of the party.
I don’t know about you, but I always have a hard time thinking of a side to bring to a barbecue. There’s baked beans, potato salad, pasta salad, chips… and then there’s this Frog Eye Fruit Salad. Nope. There are NO actual frog eyes in this salad. Ewww!
So what are those little balls in there? It’s not tapioca, it’s pasta! Acini Di Pepe is basically just spaghetti noodles chopped up into tiny pieces so that when cooked, they swell up into little balls that I guess someone thought looked like frog eyes. It looks and tastes a lot more like tapioca to me but I haven’t ever had frog eyes or frog eggs. All I can say is this salad is delicious and is more like a dessert.
Don’t you love when something pretty unhealthy is disguised with a name that makes it seem healthier and okay to eat as part of your meal even though it’s more like a dessert? That way you can still have an official dessert so in a way you get to eat two desserts. You know what I’m talking about– muffins (really just cupcakes without frosting), jello salad, waffles (loaded with butter and drenched in sugar). Did you know there is even a thing called Snicker’s Salad?! Crazy… awesome!
Besides pasta in this salad, the creamy mixture is made up of pineapple juice, eggs, sugar and a few other things. You cook it up until thickened like a custard. It is then mixed with the pasta, cooled, and then whipped cream, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and marshmallows are mixed in to create a yummy, fluffy, sweet salad.
Not only do I love the taste of this salad but I really like that it can be made the night before so I’m not rushing to cook while also getting myself and children ready and out the door on time. Get everything cooked the night before your party and all you have to do the next day is mix in the fruit and whipped cream and you can be on your way. Enjoy!
Frog Eye Fruit Salad
Frog Eye Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup Acini Di Pepe pasta or Pastina
- 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, juice reserved
- 1 20 ounce can tidbits pineapple, juice reserved
- 1 24 ounce jar mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Boil salted water in a large pot of water. Add pasta and cook 10 minutes or until al dente and then drain.
- In a medium saucepan, combine reserved juice, sugar, eggs, salt, and flour. Cook until tick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and cooked pasta. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Beat heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until stiff peaks.
- When pasta is cooled, stir in the pineapple, oranges, coconut (optional), 3 cups of the whipped topping, and marshmallows. Mix together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If serving in individual cups, top with the leftover whipped cream and extra mandarin oranges.
This is very good dessert salad. Everyone loves it. Best made day before so it sets up and chills,eat this cold.
I totally agree. Thanks for the comment Susan!