Millionaire Peach Salad


While we’ll always be a little befuddled as to why retro jello desserts are referred to as salads, but we can all agree that they can be delicious and amazing and totally addictive. Which is why we’re bringing back a classic: millionaire peach salad. We’re a fans of almost all jello-based confections – not those scary savory salads encapsulating shrimp or full constructed sandwiches – and this one is no exception. It’s full of fruity flavor, thanks mostly to diced peaches and peach (or orange) jello, with the sweetness cut by the tang of lightly-sweetened cream cheese and one other unexpected ingredient. We can’t get enough of this stuff!





If you’re curious as to that unexpected ingredient…it’s cottage cheese! We know this can be a divisive ingredient that people either love or hate, but we fall firmly in the “love” camp – we grew up eating it and thought it would balance out the sweetness of this dish beautifully. Which it did! Skip it if you absolutely must, but the cream cheese and cottage cheese really keep this peach salad from being over-the-top sweet; the combination of ingredients blend together perfectly, with juicy bites of peaches, plus fluffy marshmallows and crunchy pecans. Speaking of which, make sure you add the pecans right before serving so they keep their texture and don’t get mushy…the contrast is the best part!





It’s true that jello salads seem to have fallen out of style in the last few decades, but we see no reason why we shouldn’t do our part to bring them back! They’re the epitome of comfort food to us and they make the perfect light complement to any potluck – everyone needs something to balance out all the heavy casseroles, this is just the thing for that!


Peach Salad

15 minutes to prepare serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 (12 oz.) container frozen whipped topping
  • 1 (3 oz.) package peach or orange jello
  • 2 (14 oz.) cans sliced peaches in syrup, chopped (drained, but with 2 tablespoons reserved)
  • 1 (8 oz.) container small curd cottage cheese
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together for 3-5 minutes, or until fluffy and smooth.
  2. Fold in frozen whipped topping, cottage cheese and dry jello mix, then add in chopped peaches and 2 tablespoons reserved peach syrup.
  3. Stir in mini marshmallows, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 2 hours.
  4. Before serving, stir in pecans, then transfer to serving bowls and enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen