This is a great dish because it’s literally a banana split, but like a salad in terms of mixture. This is an “eat smart not nothing” recipe, so you’re able to indulge in a ton of great things, without wrecking your diet.
The cool thing about this, is for those of us who love to mix the foods that we have this is the way to do it. You can add practically anything to this too. It’s called an ambrosia salad, which is a fancy name for a salad that includes all of the ingredients, in this case a bunch of dessert ingredients.
Some people might look at this with a wry eye. Why is this called aa salad? Well, it’s pretty much a mixture of everything mixed together. The best way to really describe it though is that it’s like a fruit salad, where you’re getting a bunch of wonderful ingredients that don’t make you feel guilty, but instead, are wonderful mixtures that’ll help you make what you need without feeling bad.
Ingredients :
- 1 – 3.4 ounce box instant banana pudding
- 1 – 20 ounce can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
- 1 – 8 ounce container Cool Whip
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts + 2 Tablespoons for garnish
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- 2 – 10 ounce jars maraschino cherries, halved
Steps
- Take the pudding mix and the pineapple, put it in a bowl and mix it together until it’s thickened up and the pudding dissolves.
- Take the cool whip and fold this into the mixture with the spatula or other cooking utensil on hand
- Add in the nuts, the marshmallows the bananas, the chocolate chips, and the cherries, from there, stir all of this into there until it makes a whole mixture that’s properly incorporated.
- Put it in the fridge for about an hour so that it’s chilled, or a bit longer if you choose to make this beforehand. This recipe will make about eight cups of the salad that you’re looking to make, and something that is worth it if you’re not sure on what to make for your next gathering.
Tips
Is this a dessert or a salad?
It’s a bit of both. Some people would just classify this as a pure dessert, since exit’s all dessert ingredients. Others may have this as a salad, something you get on the side during your next gathering, since it is a bunch of items mixed together.
Can I add other ingredients to this?
Sure can! Dessert ingredients are the best, but also keep in mind that it does impact the calorie level of this, and also the amount of sugar that you’re consuming, so keep that in mind when you’re adding anything to this.
Do I have to Stir the bananas in?
Some people don’t like bananas, and they may not want this in their fluff salad. However, you can also have them on the side.
Most of the time, to make sure they stay fresh, you put the bananas into there before you serve it, not when it’s in the fridge. Some may put this in some lemon juice before unpeeling and putting them in the salad. This prevents this from getting too browned, too quickly. There’s a variety of ways to do this for your pudding!