Acini de Pepe pasta gives this sweet, creamy salad its unusual “frog eye” texture. It’s so yummy you can serve it as a salad, or spoon it into dessert cups! Serves 15-20.
1 ¼ C. Acini de pepe pasta
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits
1 T. flour
2 beaten eggs
1 C. sugar
1 large or 2 small cans Mandarin oranges
1 large jar marachino cherries
2 C. whipped topping
Boil the acini de pepe in water; drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: drain the pineapple tidbits and squeeze the juice from the crushed pineapple; put fruit aside. Pour 1 ¾ C. of the pineapple juice into a medium pan, whisk in the flour, eggs and sugar and then simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Set this aside to cool.
Drain the oranges and cherries; halve the cherries. Put these with the pineapple and chill. Mix the sauce into the pasta in a large bowl and chill several hours/overnight. A few hours before serving, stir the fruit into the pasta mixture and fold in the whipped topping.
(Try not to eat half of it before you share it with anyone else!)