Name: Red White & Blue Watergate Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups crushed pineapple with juice; 1 3.4 oz box of instant vanilla pudding; 12 oz cottage cheese, small curd; 1 mini marshmallows; 1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced into small pieces; 1 cup blueberries; 1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip

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This new spin on a traditional pistachio salad recipe makes the perfect Memorial Day or 4th of July treat! Check out this Red, White & Blue Watergate "Ambrosia" Salad recipe!

My grandmother has a few "famous" recipes. One is for a salad that she simply calls "The Green Stuff." It is apparently a deli classic dessert salad made with pistachio pudding. After researching a bit, I found out that this is also known as a "Watergate" salad. The ingredients are simple, which is something my grandma loves! She loves having the ingredients on hand to whip up a bowl of the green stuff if we need an easy side dish/dessert for dinner.

The cool thing about this recipe is that it actually comes from my great grandmother. She and my grandmother had a fun habit of sending each other recipes in letters throughout the years. This was one that she probably saw on TV at some point and jotted down the recipe to send to my grandmother. It's now a recipe card that is stained with many recipes and I'm sure has many stories to tell. My grandmother holds onto it even though she knows exactly how to make the recipe by heart.

While brainstorming a recipe for Memorial Day, I thought of a way to take her classic recipe and turn it into a patriotic version. In order to make it red white and blue, I used some of my favorite fruit to make this dish fresh but still super easy and quick to whip up. When I asked my grandmother for the recipe card, she was probably expecting for us to have the green stuff at dinner, but instead I surprised her with my "modern" version of her old time recipe. She even liked it, but I think old habits die hard and she still likes her version better 😉

The look of this fresh fruit Watergate salad is a bit different than the original green stuff recipe, but it's just as delicious. A lot of people (or at least kids) get a bit nervous about the salad because of it's color. So this version is a perfect way to make sure no one is scared away from this recipe, because everyone needs a taste!

Red White & Blue Watergate Salad

Yield: 8 half-cup servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

A luscious combination of crushed pineapple, creamy vanilla pudding, cottage cheese, marshmallows, strawberries, and blueberries, all topped with a generous dollop of Cool Whip. This sweet and tangy dessert salad is a crowd-pleaser for any occasion.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups crushed pineapple with juice
1 3.4 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
12 oz cottage cheese, small curd
1 mini marshmallows
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced into small pieces
1 cup blueberries
1 ½ cups thawed Cool Whip

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together pineapple, juice and vanilla pudding until combined.
Add in cottage cheese and stir.
Add in mini marshmallows and fruit, gently combine.
Gently fold in Cool Whip.
Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 166Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 171mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 6g

If you haven't ever had a traditional pistachio watergate salad, I highly recommend trying this one. It's such a light summer side dish?and is perfect for your Memorial Day or July 4th barbecues!

In addition to this barbecue side dish (that is secretly a dessert), I?ve teamed up with several fellow bloggers to bring you 50+ recipe ideas for a smashing summer shindig. See all the recipes for our Great Blogger BBQ below!

Appetizers

Korean BBQ Tofu Sliders with Kimchi Slaw by Hello Little Home
Corn, Black Bean, and Feta Dip by Lizzy is Dizzy
Crab, Bacon & Guacamole Crostinis by That Square Plate

Cocktails and Drinks

Blackberry Gin Slush by The Speckled Palate
Homemade Lemonade by Winstead Wandering
Fleur Collins Cocktail by Hungry Girl por Vida
Black Stripe Cold Rum Cocktail by Honey and Birch
Fresh Watermelon Mojito by Twin Stripe
Mint Hibiscus Lemonade by The Little Epicurean
Wine Slushy by Living Well Kitchen
Basil Gin Lemonade by Glisten and Grace

How will you celebrate the start of barbecue season?

Comments

Royvia says

September 13, 2019 at 10:57 am

Great post.

Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says

May 25, 2016 at 10:22 am

Aww, what a sweet story about them sending recipes to each other in the mail! And love that she has all of these old recipe cards still around. The ones I have from my mom and my grandmother are like little treasures to me 🙂
I also love your updated version of her original - this looks so fresh and fun and a great sweet treat for summertime! I know my kiddos would go crazy for this! Pinned!

- Madison Wetherill says
  
  June 06, 2016 at 12:12 am
  
  Thanks Kathryn! I hope your kiddos like it!

Red White & Blue Watergate Salad