Jump to recipeLeah Perez is a professionally trained recipe developer and food history fanatic. When she is not testing, tasting, and fine-tuning a recipe for The Pioneer Woman, she can be found reading in the botanical gardens or stirring up risotto for her friends.
Cornbread Salad
There's layers of cornbread, beans, veggies, and creamy chipotle ranch dressing!
Recipe by Leah Perez
Yields:
10 - 12 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
3 hrs 20 mins
There is no centerpiece quite as show-stopping as a layered cornbread salad. With big cubes of jalapeño-cheddar cornbread, crunchy vegetables, buttery beans, salty bacon, and a smoky, creamy salad dressing, the levels in this layered salad get more delicious the deeper you scoop! Piled into a pretty glass trifle dish, every ingredient is proudly on display in this summer salad. It’s a little spicy, very refreshing, and perfect for potlucks, luncheons, or as a side to any grilled meat.
What goes into a cornbread salad?
This salad starts with boxed cornbread mix that gets doctored up with pickled jalapeños and shredded cheddar cheese. One pound of bakery cornbread or your favorite cornbread recipe will also work for this salad, especially if you’re figuring out how to use up leftovers. The dressing is zesty chipotle ranch, conveniently blitzed up in a blender with a seasoning packet. No layered salad is complete without crispy bacon and cheese. While the oven is still hot from the cornbread, pop in a tray of thick-cut bacon. It’s less messy than frying it on the stove and it cooks more evenly. The cheddar cheese can be substituted with any other cheese from spicy pepper jack to mild mozzarella. Pinto beans are also a classic addition to this salad and bring home the Southwestern flavor alongside a rainbow of tomato, orange bell pepper, green onion, and corn.
Can you use bottled dressing for this salad?
This dressing is intentionally made to be thicker than bottled dressings so that it layers nicely in the salad. It is recommended to use the dressing as written in the recipe; it’s easy, creamy, smoky, and delicious!
Can cornbread salad be made ahead?
Created for potlucks, luncheons, and other get-togethers, cornbread salad does very well when made ahead. Make the cornbread, bacon, and dressing the night before. Assemble and layer the salad in the morning, pop it in the fridge, and it will be all ready for lunch! It's perfectly fine to keep it sitting longer than 4 hours in the fridge, but the layers might not be as distinct.
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Ingredients
For the cornbread salad:
- 1
11.5-ounce package cornbread mix
- 3 cups
shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 cup
buttermilk
- 2
large eggs
- 1/3 cup
unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup
chopped pickled jalapenos
Nonstick cooking spray
- 12 oz.
thick-cut bacon
- 2
15-ounce cans pinto beans
- 3
plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1
orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 5
green onions, thinly sliced, plus more to serve
- 1 1/2 cups
thawed frozen corn
For the dressing:
- 1 1/2 cups
sour cream
- 3/4 cup
mayonnaise
- 1
(1-ounce) packet ranch dressing mix
- 2
or 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded
- 1 tsp.
lime zest
- 1 Tbsp.
lime juice
- 1/2 tsp.
ground cumin
Directions
- Step 1For the cornbread salad: Heat the oven to 375˚F.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk together the cornbread mix and 1 cup of cheddar cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, and jalapeños. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornbread mix and whisk until well combined. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the cornbread mixture into the prepared pan.
- Step 3Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 1 1/2-inch cubes.
- Step 4Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the bacon on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Allow to cool completely before crumbling.
- Step 5For the dressing: In a blender, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, 2 chipotle peppers, lime zest, lime juice, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Taste, and blend in a third chipotle pepper, if desired. Remove the dressing to an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes to thicken.
- Step 6Drain and rinse the pinto beans. In a small bowl, combine the tomato, bell pepper, and green onion. In a 3 ½-quart trifle dish, add half of the cubed cornbread. Layer in half of the pinto beans, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, half of the corn, half of the tomato mixture, and ⅔ of the dressing. Repeat the layers one more time, beginning with the cornbread and ending with the remaining dressing.
- Step 7Chill for 2 to 4 hours. Serve cold with more sliced green onion.
Tip: Embrace the season and use 2 ears of boiled or grilled fresh corn cut off the cob instead of frozen!
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