Cornbread Salad Recipe

Content… What Is It? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Refreshing Southern Salad Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

What Is Cornbread Salad?

If you love a good taco salad, you’ll also love Southern cornbread salad. And it’s so beautiful in a clear glass bowl so you can see all the vibrant layers, buttery chunks of cornbread, colorful vegetables, bacon, cheese, and more. This great warm-weather side salad even delivers a filling main course for a fast lunch on a crazy day.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Cornbread – Southern-style cornbread is ideal for this recipe, but you can use your go-to cornbread.
2. Veggies – Tomatoes add acidity and juiciness. Then bright red and green bell peppers add a gorgeous pop of color and a pleasant crunch. Yellow bell peppers work, too. Onions (regular and green) deliver a wonderful zing.
3. Kidney Beans add heartiness for a filling side or vegetarian main course.
4. Corn adds a little sweetness, and corn with cornbread works every time. You could use leftover grilled corn instead of canned if you have it.
5. Bacon provides a smoky, salty flavor that adds to the salad’s complexity. Besides, bacon makes everything better, right?
6. Cheese – Sharp cheddar delivers a flavor punch full of umami. Yum!
7. Ranch Dressing – Homemade ranch dressing is a definite plus, but store-bought works too. The creaminess balances the salad’s crunch. No ranch? Italian dressing, a mayonnaise and sour cream mixture, and creamy Caesar dressing are all delicious.

How to Make Cornbread Salad

• Bacon – Heat a heavy or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Then add chopped bacon, and cook for 6-7 minutes, turning as needed, or until it’s brown and crisp.
• Assemble in a large bowl or divide between individual salad bowls. Add the cornbread first, then layer the tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, bacon, and onions. (Or arrange in your preferred order.) (Photos 1-7)
• Finishing Touch – Top the salad with cheddar cheese (if desired), green onions, and parsley. Cover it and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. I usually wait to add the ranch dressing right before serving. (Photo 8)
• Serve – When ready to serve your cornbread salad, drizzle the ranch dressing over the top. You can also serve extra ranch dressing on the side.

Recipe Variations

1. Vegetarian version. Leave out the bacon or replace it with a plant-based version. Another good bacon replacement is eggplant marinated in soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Then saute them in olive oil and use them instead of bacon.
2. Meaty addition. For a true one-dish main course salad, add roasted turkey, chicken, ham, etc.
3. Bean swap. Trade the kidney beans with black beans, black-eyed peas, or pinto beans. Just use whatever you have and love.
4. More delicious add-ins. Black olives, capers, and diced jalapenos are excellent additions. Chopped broccoli and cauliflower are good too.

Tips and Tricks

1. Use a clear glass bowl if you want to show off the gorgeous layers.
2. Feel free to stir the salad before serving to make sure everyone gets a bite of everything.
3. Save the bacon drippings and stir them into the ranch dressing for a bacon ranch dressing twist.
4. If making your cornbread from scratch, let it cool before cutting it into cubes so it doesn’t crumble as easily. And it’s a perfect make-ahead ingredient.
5. Don’t worry about getting all the layers in order, especially if you decide to stir it at serving time.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Wanna get ahead for a stress-free side at your next picnic? While it’s best six hours ahead, you can totally make this salad a day or two before. However, I’d wait until serving to add the ranch dressing.

Serving and Storage Instructions

A glass bowl shows off the beautiful layers, but don’t feel bad if stirring it at serving time works better.

Refrigerate leftover cornbread salad in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Enjoy it for a quick lunch or snack on the go.

What Goes With Cornbread Salad

This refreshing summer side dish goes great with grilled chicken wings, smoked pork spare ribs, or oven-baked pork chops for a complete meal. Then, wash it down with a pitcher of sweet iced tea.

More Refreshing Southern Salad Recipes to Try

1. Southern Potato Salad
2. Pea Salad
3. Ambrosia Salad
4. Sweet Potato Salad
5. Ranch Potato Salad
6. Macaroni Salad

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in July 2020 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video