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My uncle ate two helpings of this at a family reunion before he asked what the little round things were. When my aunt told him they were pasta, he set his spoon down like it had bitten him, and then, after a while, when he thought nobody was looking, he went back for a third. That is frog eye salad in one story. Nobody believes it until they have eaten it, and after that nobody can stop.
It is a creamy, sweet salad of pineapple, mandarin oranges and mini marshmallows, folded into whipped topping, with tiny pearls of acini di pepe pasta all through it. The children who first ate it named the pearls frog eyes, and the name stuck at potlucks and family reunions all across the Midwest. The secret is the custard. The cooked pasta is stirred into a warm, thick pineapple custard made from the juice of the cans, and it sits in the refrigerator overnight. By morning the pasta has drunk up the custard and turned soft, sweet and silky. Skip the overnight and you have a bowl of noodles in fruit. Do it right and it tastes like a pudding with fruit in it.
Why this frog eye salad works
- A cooked custard from the pineapple juice. Nothing is wasted, and the pasta takes on the pineapple flavor all the way through.
- Acini di pepe. The tiny round pasta cooks soft and turns almost like tapioca once it soaks.
- The overnight rest. The pasta needs a full night to absorb the custard. This step cannot be rushed.
- Whipped topping folded in last. It keeps the salad light and holds the fruit and marshmallows in a fluffy cloud.
Ingredients
Makes one large bowl, about 16 servings. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the pasta and custard
- 1 cup acini di pepe pasta (175g), uncooked
- Two 20 ounce cans pineapple (567g each), one chunks and one crushed, in juice
- 1 3/4 cups pineapple juice (415ml), from the cans
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (16g)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
To finish
- Three 11 ounce cans mandarin oranges (312g each), well drained
- 3 cups mini marshmallows (150g)
- One 8 ounce tub whipped topping (226g), thawed
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (85g), optional
Acini di pepe is a tiny round pasta found with the other pastas in most grocery stores; it is the pasta that gives the salad its name. Drain the pineapple over a measuring cup to catch the juice before you start.
How to make frog eye salad
Day one: the pasta and the custard
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the acini di pepe for 9 to 11 minutes, until tender. Drain it in a fine strainer and rinse under cold water until completely cold. Shake it dry.
- Drain both cans of pineapple over a measuring cup and keep 1 3/4 cups of the juice. Put the pineapple in a covered container in the refrigerator for tomorrow.
- In a saucepan, whisk the pineapple juice, sugar, flour, salt and beaten eggs until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring the whole time, until the custard thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil hard. Take it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Let the custard cool for 15 minutes, then stir in the cold pasta until every pearl is coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Day two: the salad
- Stir the pasta and custard to loosen it. Fold in the pineapple, the drained mandarin oranges and the mini marshmallows.
- Fold in the whipped topping gently, until the salad is creamy and evenly mixed. Fold in the coconut if your family is the coconut kind.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour more before serving, in a big glass bowl so everybody can see the colors.
Tips that make the difference
- Rinse the cooked pasta until it is completely cold and toss it with a teaspoon of oil. Warm pasta clumps into a ball in the custard.
- Drain the mandarin oranges very well, even on paper towels. Extra syrup makes the salad watery.
- Stir the custard constantly. The eggs can scramble at the bottom of the pan if you walk away.
- Fold, do not stir, once the whipped topping goes in, so the salad stays fluffy.
Variations
- With cherries. Fold in 1/2 cup halved candied red cherries, for color.
- With fresh whipped cream. Replace the whipped topping with 2 cups heavy cream whipped with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Serve it the same day.
- Without coconut. Leave it out entirely; many families never used it.
- Smaller batch. Halve every ingredient for a family supper. The custard still needs its night in the refrigerator.
Storage and make-ahead
Frog eye salad keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It is at its best on the first and second day.
The pasta and custard can be made up to 2 days before you finish the salad. Keep it covered and cold, and fold in the fruit, marshmallows and whipped topping on the day you serve it.
It does not freeze well. The fruit weeps and the topping separates.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called frog eye salad?
Because of the acini di pepe, the tiny round pasta. Children thought the little pearls looked like frog eyes, and the name stuck at potlucks across the Midwest.
Do I really have to chill the pasta overnight?
Yes. The pasta needs the night to soak up the custard and turn soft and sweet. Made the same day, it tastes like plain pasta in fruit.
Can I use a different pasta?
Acini di pepe is best. Orzo or the smallest ring pasta will work, but they never soften quite the same way.
Is frog eye salad a side dish or a dessert?
Both, and that is half the fun. It sits with the salads on the potluck table and eats like dessert.
Make the custard tonight, finish it tomorrow, and set the bowl on the table without a word. Wait until they go back for seconds before you tell them what the little round things are.
Frog Eye Salad (The Fruit Salad with Pasta in It)
Old-fashioned frog eye salad: acini di pepe pasta soaked overnight in a cooked pineapple custard, then folded with pineapple, mandarin oranges, mini marshmallows and whipped topping. The family reunion classic, with cups and grams and the overnight step.
Ingredients
- 1 cup acini di pepe pasta (175g), uncooked
- Two 20 ounce cans pineapple (567g each), one chunks and one crushed, in juice
- 1 3/4 cups pineapple juice (415ml), from the cans
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Three 11 ounce cans mandarin oranges (312g each), well drained
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- One 8 ounce tub whipped topping (226g), thawed
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (85g), optional
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the acini di pepe for 9 to 11 minutes, until tender. Drain it in a fine strainer and rinse under cold water until completely cold. Shake it dry.
- Drain both cans of pineapple over a measuring cup and keep 1 3/4 cups of the juice. Put the pineapple in a covered container in the refrigerator for tomorrow.
- In a saucepan, whisk the pineapple juice, sugar, flour, salt and beaten eggs until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring the whole time, until the custard thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil hard. Take it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Let the custard cool for 15 minutes, then stir in the cold pasta until every pearl is coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Stir the pasta and custard to loosen it. Fold in the pineapple, the drained mandarin oranges and the mini marshmallows.
- Fold in the whipped topping gently, until the salad is creamy and evenly mixed. Fold in the coconut if your family is the coconut kind.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour more before serving, in a big glass bowl so everybody can see the colors.
