Citrus Jello Salad (Shhh! It’s a Secret.)

I have discovered a new side dish that causes a grown man to hide the left-overs in an empty yoghurt container so he can eat them all himself. This secret recipe is fast becoming a family favourite. And you know that secret recipes, especially those that are family, secret recipes can never be divulged.

Well, luckily for you this recipe is not really a secret, nor is it a family recipe (yet). Plus I always get a little irritated when people tell me I can’t have their recipe cause it’s soooo secret. This is the day of the Internet. Nothing, not even a recipe, stays a secret for long.

Easy side dishes are a must at a BarBQue. I usually bring Green Stuff to BarBQues and other family get-togethers. I now have a new desserty-type dish to bring that we all like BETTER than green stuff. (Sorry, Mom.)

Until a new name surfaces, I will call it Orange Stuff. It is a “dump” type recipe where you dump in all the ingredients, stir, chill and serve.

Ingredients

Cool Whip: 1 carton – thawed (8-oz.)
Cottage cheese: 1 carton (16-oz.)
Crushed pineapple: 1 can (20-oz.) (drained)
Mandarin oranges 1 can (11-oz.) (drained)
Orange extract: 1 teaspoon (optional)
Orange Jello: 1 box (3-oz.)
Instant vanilla pudding: 1 box (3-oz.)

Directions

Put thawed Cool Whip and cottage cheese into large bowl.
Dump drained crushed pineapple and drained mandarin oranges on top.
Measure out 1 teaspoon of orange extract and pour into fruit. (Optional step.)
Open up boxes of orange jello and instant pudding mix and pour the dry powder on top of fruit.
Using a large spoon mix together all ingredients until well mixed.
Scoop mixture into bowl and cover with Saran Wrap.
Here’s another optional step – Put it in the refrigerator until chilled. It really does taste better c-o-l-d!

I got the original recipe from Recipe Shoebox. We like our jello-cottage cheese-Cool Whip salads a little firmer. So I added a box of instant vanilla pudding. This addition toned the orange taste w-a-y down so I added 1 teaspoon of orange extract. No matter how you make this salad, your family is sure to appreciate your easily-made, tasty concoction.

NOTE: If you cannot find Cool Whip or you want an alternative without chemicals, use this home-made version.

Your Turn . . . What are some simple side dishes that you make? . . . What would you call this salad?

Entry filed under: Recipes. Tags: citrus Jello salad, easy side dishes, mandarin oranges, orange jello.

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17 Comments Add your own

1. catladymarsha | . at .

Can’t wait to make this for the wee ones – may have to blend the cottage cheese to remove the texture – otherwise it sounds fabulous! Thanks, Susan, and yes, I agree about the ‘secret’ recipe stuff – baloney! I’m not going to sell the darn recipe I’m just going to eat it 🙂

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- 2. susan2009 | . at .
  
  As you noticed Lara from Recipe Shoebox suggested putting the cottage cheese into the food processor to disguise it. Let me know how it tastes that way.
  
  We won’t sell it unless we put it into one of our famous CNC cookbooks! 🙂
  
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3. Lynette | . at .

We call it That’s it Salad, my mom made it with lime jello. I’ve made for many years. The pudding is a new verison I have not heard of.

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- 4. susan2009 | . at .
  
  It would be tasty with lime Jello, Lynette. I look forward to having this on Wednesday night.
  
  I added the pudding because I though the texture a little too runny even though I drained the fruits well. I thought to add the pudding because that’s what we add to the Green Stuff (instant pistachio pudding, drained pineapple, Cool Whip and cottage cheese). Very similar to the Orange Stuff.
  
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5. Piglet in Portugal | . at .

this sounds good but what is •Cool Whip? If you can describe it to me I can probably try and buy an alternative in Portugal 🙂 as I would like to try this recipe!
cheers 🙂

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- 6. susan2009 | . at .
  
  Hello Piglet,
  
  Cool Whip is found in the frozen food section of the market. It is frozen non-dairy whipped cream (with lots of chemicals no doubt). When thawed it keeps its shape instead of breaking down like regular whipped cream would do after awhile.
  
  I believe you could use the following recipe for STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM to great success. I will try this the next time I make Orange Stuff and see how the taste compares.
  
  STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM
  1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
  4 teaspoons cold water
  1 cup heavy whipping cream (very cold)
  1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  
  Combine gelatin and cold water in a small saucepan. Let stand until thick. Place over low heat, and stir constantly until gelatin dissolves; about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool slightly.
  
  Whip cream, sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened. While beating, slowly and gradually add gelatin to the whipped cream mixture. Whip at high speed until stiff.
  
  Makes about two cups.
  
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7. Lori Clover | . at .

At the end you added the jello and pudding, but were they put in dry just as they are out of the box? Or do you mix the pudding then add it with the other stuff?? Just want to make sure, it just didn’t sound like it would mix right without the extra moisture. Thanks!

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- 8. susan2009 | . at .
  
  Good clarification, Lori. You pour in the dry powder of both boxes right into the other ingredients. Yes, it mixes just fine. Without the pudding it is a tad too wet for our tastes. Which is why I added the dry pudding powder.
  
  I made that clarification in the recipe too.
  
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9. hip chick | . at .

I would call it orange fluff. It looks really good.

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- 10. susan2009 | . at .
  
  Good idea, Hip Chick. It s very fluffy and delicious!
  
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11. claudiawjohnson | . at .

Yum! Yum! I need to try this!

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- 12. susan2009 | . at .
  
  You will like it! Can you get Cool Whip in Thailand?
  
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13. autovit | . at .

Oh my God this looks so good and i`m sure that it is delicious too. I think that this is a easy recipe so i will give it a try, thanks a lot for sharing.

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14. Merry | . at .

I grew up eating this at pretty much every holiday dinner, minus your pudding/extract additions, and the pineapple in tidbit form. We call it Pink Salad since it turns out pink. But the recipe was called Dot’s Salad before that. Maybe a family member got the recipe from someone named Dot, I have no idea 🙂

I was actually looking for this recipe or something similar that could be made with real whipped cream instead of cool whip, and found your page with stabilized whipped cream first. Can’t wait to try it, thanks!

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15. April | . at .

My aunt has been making this same recipe since I was 4 and I’m 34 now. She calls it orange stuff also. One of my favorites.

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16. 7 Reasons to Eat Salad | Fruitful Words | . at .

[…] Citrus Jello Salad (Shhh! It’s a Secret.) […]

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17. 5 Reasons Salad is a Bother | Fruitful Words | . at .

[…] Citrus Jello Salad (Shhh! It’s a Secret.) […]

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