Southern Cornbread Salad

One thing I’ve always appreciated is just how broad the definition of salad is. Lots of leafy lettuce? That’s definitely a salad. A jiggly jello creation? Sure, that too. Pasta, potato, broccoli, wedge, fruit, bean… there are countless options. While so many of them are great when you’re entertaining or attending a potluck, this Southern Cornbread Salad tops the list for me when I need to bring a side somewhere. Its layers make it seem elegant, but it’s easy to make and entirely delicious.

If you use storebought cornbread, this will take you all of fifteen minutes to make, though it looks like a lot more effort went into it. There are layers and layers, but not a lot of chopping to be done – just some tomatoes, red onion, green peppers, and green onion.

Those are chopped and layered with the crumbled cornbread, some pinto beans, cheddar cheese, and corn and a creamy dressing that’s kissed with ranch seasoning.

You don’t have to toss everything together, the layers of flavors and textures come together when you just scoop and serve. Thanks to the cornbread and pinto beans, it’s a pretty hearty dish, but there’s plenty of fresh crunch and creaminess going on too. It’s both balanced and beautiful!

Southern Cornbread Salad

15 minutes to prepare serves 6

Ingredients

  • 4 cups baked cornbread, cubed
  • 1 (1 oz) packet Ranch seasoning
  • 1 1/2 cups sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  • 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup green onion, chopped
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 (11 oz) cans corn, drained

Preparation

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the Ranch seasoning, sour cream, and mayonnaise. Set aside.
  2. Lightly crumble half of the cornbread in the bottom of a large trifle dish. Layer with half of the pinto beans, half of the tomatoes, half of the red onion, half of the bell pepper, half of the green onion, half of the cheddar, half of the bacon, and half of the corn.
  3. Top with half of the dressing mixture and repeat all layers once more.
  4. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Farmwife Feeds.

Whizzco for LPE