Beet Jello Salad
The Preamble
I chose this as first recipe I made from the box for the simple fact that it’s outrageous by modern standards. Lemon-flavored gelatin with a slew of ingredients that hardly go in a regular salad, I knew this was going to be good — good, like entertaining, and it didn’t disappoint.
I also love that my mystery mistress noted “good” in the upper right hand of the card.
A few notes about this recipe:
I didn’t use lemon jello because it specifically calls out “gelatin” and not “jello” (I checked other recipe cards and she made a point to call out jello). I thought that lemon jello would make it sweet, so instead I made lemon-flavored gelatin by boiling lemon skins and water. To me, a slightly lemony gelatin would go better with the other savory ingredients than a sugary lemon jello.
I was antsy and didn’t wait until the recipe was partially set to add the celery. For this reason (I think), the celery absorbed the beet juice color.
I opted out of the mayonnaise dollop for obvious reasons.
The Recipe
1 can (16 oz) diced or julienned beets
1 package (16 oz) lemon-flavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
1-2 TBSP prepared horseradish
4 TSP vinegar
1/4 TSP salt
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup sliced stuffed olives
Garnish (optional): Lettuce leaves, mayonnaise, whole stuffed olives
Drain beets, reserving liquid; add water to reserved liquid to equal 2 cups. In a saucepan, bring beets and liquid to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in gelatin until dissolved. Add cold water, onion, horseradish, vinegar and salt. Chill until partially set. Stir in the beets, celery, olives. Pour into an 8 inch square dish. Chill until firm (about 3 hours). Cut solid into squares. If desired, serve on lettuce lined plate and top with a dollop of mayonnaise and an olive.
The Rating
Hilariously bad.
0/5 🍰