Whisk, whisk, whisk until that jello has totally dissolved…
… and stir in a can of cranberry sauce. (The whole berry kind here please.)
Transfer that jello/cranberry mixture to a bowl and chill it until it has cooled down and started to thicken…
… and then stir in plenty of chopped apples, walnuts, and that can of drained pineapple.
Here, you can decide if you want to serve it in a molded form or straight out of a bowl, but either way it will need to chill for a few hours to firm up. If you’re using a mold, err on the side of caution and plan for at least five hours, but overnight is safer. If you’re serving it from a bowl, it’s not the end of the world if it’s scoopable but not solid yet, so four hours will do.
This isn’t the kind of dish you see on dining tables that often anymore but it absolutely makes sense for the holidays, where nostalgia and food traditions come together. I love a good food memory and every bite of this reminds me of something my grandma used to serve that always fascinated me with both its jiggle and its flavor.
Cranberry Apple Jello Salad
Yield(s): Serves 9
15m prep time
10m cook time
Ingredients
- 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
- 2 (3 oz each) packages raspberry gelatin
- 1 (14 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1 medium apple, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Preparation
- Open pineapple and drain, reserving the juice. Pour juice into a 4-cup measuring container.
- Add orange juice to pineapple juice, then add enough cold water to measure 3 cups. Pour liquid into a large saucepan.
- Place over high heat, bring to a boil, then remove from heat immediately.
- Whisk in gelatin until completely dissolved, 2 minutes.
- Add cranberry sauce and stir; mixture should be starting to thicken.
- Pour mixture into a large bowl and chill until slightly thickened, 15-30 minutes.
- Stir in pineapple, apples, orange zest, and walnuts or pecans. Pour into serving bowl or mold and chill until completely firm, about 4 hours. Enjoy!
