Pink Lady Salad – An Old Fashioned Jello Salad Recipe

Pink Lady Salad is 5 ingredient vintage Jello salad that includes cottage cheese, canned pineapple and Cool Whip. Also known as Pink Stuff, this recipe creates one of those classic dishes that graced holiday dinner tables across the Midwest.

Pink Lady Salad Recipe

There’s nothing more vintage than a gelatin salad. Preparing and serving a yummy gelatin salad like this sweetheart salad sends me through a time warp. I’m in a time when my Grandma is getting ready for a lady’s luncheon wearing a patterned apron.

I found this 5 Minute Pink Salad recipe in Grandma’s wooden recipe box.  Grandma wrote the recipe on an index card, and she had two versions of Pink Lady Salad on the same stained card.  Both recipes were similar but unique.  There are numerous versions of gelatin salads out there, and I imagine that each home cook had her own beloved version that she used based on what ingredients were accessible and affordable.

If your heart desires, try mixing up this recipe by adding miniature marshmallows, cream cheese, or a different flavor of jello mix. Or, if you are wanting a more decadent Cherry Pie Version, try Grandma’s Cherry Fluff.  This is another recipe straight out of Grandma’s wooden recipe box.

Southern Pink Salad Ingredient List

Box of Strawberry Jello (preferably sugar free)

Crushed Pineapple, drained well

Cottage Cheese

Cool Whip

Pecans, chopped

How to Make Old Fashioned Jello Salad Recipe

1. In a large bowl, mix cool whip, drained crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, chopped nuts and dry strawberry Jello mix.
2. Let salad set up in refrigerator before serving, approximately 1 hour.

For the full instructions and ingredient amounts for 5 Minute Pink Salad, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Notes About Pink Stuff Salad:

• This easy pink stuff salad has only 5 ingredients – strawberry jello mix, cool whip, cottage cheese, chopped nuts and crushed pineapple.
• Be sure to drain the pineapple thoroughly before adding to the pink stuff salad.  Discard the juice or use it for something delicious like Amaretto Pina Coladas.
• A sieve works best for draining crushed pineapple. Check out the “Kitchen Stuff You Need” list in our Amazon shop for our sieve of choice and other items that we can’t live without.
• To make this 5 minute pink salad diet friendly, use fat free cool whip, non fat cottage cheese, and sugar free strawberry jello.
• We prefer to use sugar free strawberry jello in this recipe, but regular strawberry jello mix would work too.
• The strawberry jello mix gets added to the salad dry without water being added.

Can I swap canned pineapple chunks for crushed pineapple?

Yes, canned pineapple chunks, tidbits or pineapple rings are a suitable substitute for crushed pineapple.  First off, you need to determine whether or not the recipe calls to drain off the juices from the crushed pineapple.  If so, then go ahead and drain first, and then pour the chunks into a food processor.

If the recipe says to keep the pineapple undrained, then pour in the entire can, juices and all.

Next, use the food processor to make crushed pineapple.  The Pulse button works great for this.  Pulse until the pineapple chunks are broken down into crushed pineapple. Or, turn on low for a few seconds at a time until you get to the desired texture.

This can also be done with fresh pineapple as well.

Our Favorite Vintage Dessert Salads

Our grandma loved her dessert salads and luckily she wrote some of her favorite recipes down and we’ve found other keepers in our old church cookbook collection. Here are some that we’ve shared already on the blog – Ambrosia, Cherry Fluff, Vintage Pineapple Pretzel Salad, Watergate Salad, and Lazy Daisy (Ambrosia) Salad.

Our Favorite Vintage Recipes

Vintage recipes are our cup of tea.  Here’s some of our favorites:

Classic Vanilla Pudding

Grandma’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Swiss Steak and Vegetables

Creamed Peas and New Potatoes

Creamed Chipped Beef Gravy

Mom’s Tuna Casserole with Potato Chips

Classic Salmon Patties

 

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