No traditional Southern meal would be complete without at least one gelatin-based dish on the menu. At potlucks and church dinners, you’re likely to find several dozen of these delightful creations on offer.
Now in the part of the south where I grew up, we’d be more likely to serve these as a side dish or salad rather than a dessert. It mostly depends on whether there are any vegetables in the mix.
If your recipe includes onions, celery or carrots, it’s a salad. If not, it’s probably a dessert. Although that’s not a hard and fast rule mind you.
And another thing. Where I grew up, we always call these recipes “congealed salad.” Whether served as a side dish or dessert, it’s still congealed salad.
I started out using that term but had so many people “correct” me or either outright state that the word “congealed” was disgusting (though I have yet to quite understand why), that I started using the apparently more popular “jello mold” or “jello salad.” Call it whatever you like.
Over the past few years, I’ve posted several gelatin-based recipes on the blog. There’s the classic Sunshine Salad, the old standard Lime Congealed Salad, our family’s favorite Polly’s Pink Stuff, and the popular Strawberry Banana Jello Mold. I’ve even posted a Tomato Aspic which is, essentially, a congealed salad :-)
This Blueberry Jello Salad falls squarely in the dessert category. Not a carrot or celery in sight.
This one uses black cherry jello chock full of blueberries and pineapple and is topped with a sweetened but tangy cream cheese and sour cream combination. Yum!
You probably noticed that even though it’s quite sweet and contains no veggies, I still called it “salad.” I know…we Southerners and our idiosyncrasies :-)
How to Make Blueberry Jello Salad:
In a 2-quart heat-proof serving dish or casserole, add the jello and boiling water. Stir until the jello is completely dissolved.
Add the pineapple with its juice and the blueberries. Stir until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate until firmly set.
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar to a medium bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the walnuts.
Spread evenly over the set jello layer.
Enjoy!
Yields 8 servings
An old-fashioned southern jello salad with blueberries and pineapple topped with a sweetened cream cheese and sour cream mixture.
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 3-oz. pkgs. black cherry jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- 8.25 oz. can crushed pineapple
- 12 oz. frozen blueberries, thawed and lightly drained
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a 2-quart heat-proof serving dish or casserole, add the jello and boiling water. Stir until the jello is completely dissolved.
- Add the pineapple with its juice and the blueberries. Stir until evenly combined.
- Cover and refrigerate until firmly set.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar to a medium bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the walnuts.
- Spread evenly over the set jello layer.
Notes
Additional time is required for the gelatin to set. Plan on 4-6 hours.
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Other jello salads you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad as Dessert from Creative Culinary
- Grandma’s Pineapple Cucumber Lime Jello Salad from Simply Recipes
- 5 Minute Jello Salad from Six Sisters’ Stuff
- Watergate Salad from Kraft Foods
- Cranberry Congealed Salad from Southern Living
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