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Make this Pear and Lime Jello Salad for your next potluck dinner or even as a “green” dish for Saint Patrick’s Day! I love the creamy taste of this salad with pear halves. Just slice off a piece and serve for dinner or dessert. Our youngest grandson loves this gelatin salad.
Every month our church holds a potluck dinner, sometimes with a theme. Sometimes not. Bill, an elderly gentleman in our congregation, often brought food to share, and one of his known dishes was this gelatin salad. It amazed me that he would go to the trouble of making a molded salad, but I guess it was one of his family recipes, and he enjoyed doing it.
I always loved this recipe and wanted to share it here with you. His recipe was rather simple with little instruction, so I went online to see if I could find more details. Most of the recipes I looked at instructed you to blend in the pears, but Bill never did, so I’m not either.
A Little History about Jell-O Molds
According to The Molding of America, an Article in the Washington Post, the gelatin mold salad first came about in 1897, with aluminum, copper, and porcelain decorative molds hitting the market soon after. In the 1940’s the craze hit America with renewed energy when Jell-O distributed a booklet with easy family recipes. Nowadays, you can find these iconic vintage molds in antique shops or inherit them as family heirlooms. Or you can buy new Plastic Molds on Amazon or even Individual Silicone Molds like this One.
Do not worry, however, if you don’t have a jello mold. You may use a Bundt pan instead or simply place the ingredients in a large bowl for serving.
Ingredients for Pear and Lime Jello Salad
- lime Jell-O
- canned pear halves in syrup
- pear juice + water
- cream cheese, room temperature
- frozen whipped topping, thawed in refrigerator
- pecans, chopped
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Ingredients
Using a knife and cutting board or a nut chopper, coarsely chop the pecans.
Strain the pear juice from the pears into a glass measuring cup.
Make the Gelatin Salad
In a medium saucepan, combine the pear juice and enough water to measure 1 3/4 cups. Bring to a boil. Add in the lime Jell-O and stir to dissolve.
Place gelatin mixture inside a blender container. Add softened cream cheese. Blend until combined, 30-60 seconds.
Bill’s recipe simply directed to mix together, but I thought the blender did an excellent job of mixing it.
Pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator to chill for 20-30 minutes.
Using a whisk, mix the thawed whipped cream and chopped pecans into the cooled jello until combined.
Place Jello into a Mold
Coat the inside of a gelatin mold (or ice ring) with baking spray. Pour enough jello mixture into the mold to cover the bottom. Place pear halves on top, and then pour the remaining mixture over the pears.
If you don’t have a small gelatin mold or ice ring you may use a Bundt cake pan. Or simply place all of the ingredients in a medium serving bowl and serve from the bowl.
Cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
To unmold, dip the container into hot tap water to loosen, being cautious not to get water in the salad. Allow to set for 15-20 seconds until edges start to melt.
Carefully invert the mold onto a serving plate.
You may need to gently shake it a bit to help it release. I used a knife to go along the edges of the mold, but I don’t think it was necessary.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve cold slices of salad for a potluck or family dinner or as a dessert. This recipe will serve 10-12 people.
See more Salad Recipes Here. View Recipes Perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day.
Pear and Lime Jello Salad
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Ingredients
- 3 oz lime Jell-O package
- 15 oz canned pear halves in syrup
- 1 3/4 cups pear juice + water
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 3/4 cup frozen whipped topping (thawed in refrigerator)
- 1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Using a knife and cutting board or a nut chopper, coarsely chop the pecans.
- Strain the pear juice from the pears into a glass measuring cup.
Make the Gelatin Salad
- In a medium saucepan, combine the pear juice and enough water to measure 1 3/4 cups. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the lime Jell-O and stir to dissolve. Place gelatin mixture inside a blender container. Add softened cream cheese. Blend until combined, 30-60 seconds.
- Pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator to chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Using a rubber spatula gently fold in the thawed whipped cream and chopped pecans to combine.
Place Salad into Mold
- Coat the inside of a gelatin mold with baking spray. Pour enough salad mixture into the mold to cover the bottom. Place pear halves on top, and then pour the remaining mixture over the pears.
- If you don’t have a small gelatin mold or ice ring you may use a Bundt cake pan. Or simply place all of the ingredients in a medium serving bowl and serve from the bowl.
- Cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
- To unmold, dip the container into hot tap water to loosen, being cautious not to get water in the salad.
- Carefully invert the mold onto a serving plate. You may need to gently shake it a bit to help it release.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. This recipe will serve 10-12 people.
Nutrition
