When I saw this ‘70’s salad in the “Library of Family Favorites" I immediately remembered buying it at our grocery deli back when, and everyone enjoyed it. There were 3 contributors of this recipe which attests to its popularity. The earliest printed recipe for this salad was in the Washington Post, November 13, 1975, according to Foodtimeline.Org. Kraft published a similar recipe, without the Watergate name, when they brought out Pistachio pudding mix in 1975.
It’s very, very simple to make, so we enjoyed it for lunch today, after I stopped by the store to purchase the ingredients. Were I going to make this more often, I would look for the ingredients on sale. However, it cost $3.99 for ½ this amount of similar salads at our grocery deli today, so 5 minutes of mixing saves a lot; and you know when it was prepared and how it was stored. I can't believe I was ever willing to pay so much more to buy it premade.
It is a light, refreshing dessert-salad; excellent for pot lucks or entertaining when you don’t want to fuss and you want make something most folks will eat.
Watergate Salad
1 box (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
20 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 ½ cups *thawed Cool Whip® (1/2 of an 8 oz. carton)
½ cup pecans or other nuts
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Fold dry pudding into whipped topping. Add pineapple and juice, marshmallows and nuts. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
*Cool whip can be thawed 4 hours in the refrigerator.
*Cool whip can be thawed 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Contributors: Angela Fisher, Lori Rogus, Wanda Kline
2015 Cost: $3.11 per quart recipe
Yield: "1 quart"
This is a dessert I make every Thanksgiving and Christmas and usually Easter because my family all love it! It is quick and easy and I love that part of it.
ReplyDeleteI love this salad, but have never made it. I do make the Watergate cake about once a year, though I'm kind of tired of that.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't get much easier than this one!
DeleteMom had this same sort of dish, she would replace the pudding with any flavor of a red Jello and also add the cottage cheese.
ReplyDeleteYes, we make something similar too...it's very popular, even with folks who think they don't like cottage cheese.
DeleteI think any combination of canned fruit and flavor of jello works if you keep the amounts the same.
Quick Orange Salad