Cornbread Salad

With crispy skillet cornbread, fresh veggies, cheese, and bacon, this Southern Cornbread Salad recipe is one of the family’s favorites. I love it because it’s a fun way to make sure we’re getting all our veggies!

Southern Cornbread Salad Recipe

If you like healthy eating, this easy cornbread salad recipe is not only a great dish for family dinner, but it’s a big hit no matter where you bring it.

Every time I make it for a church gathering or party at a friend’s house, it’s always a hit.

I feel like layered salads were a “thing” in the 70s but I certainly want to bring them back! Not only are they pretty but they are budget friendly. And we can all use more salads in our lives, am I right?

If you like this one, check out my 7 layer salad and my old-fashioned 24 hour salad. Both are full of tasty layers but easy to prep the night before.

Start with a Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread. I love the crispy edges that it gives and it stands up to the creamy dressing.

Ingredients Needed

Skillet cornbread – Start with my cast iron skillet cornbread. I love the crispy edges! Substitute your favorite cornbread recipe or grab some cornbread muffins from the store.

Tomatoes – Roma or grape tomatoes work best.

Bell peppers – I personally prefer red bell pepper or green bell pepper for the color.

Pinto beans – Switch out for black beans if necessary, or black olives for those who don’t like beans. 

Green onions – Substitute with red onion or sweet onion. 

Bacon – If you want to make it healthier, swap out for turkey bacon or leave out all together. 

Sharp cheddar cheese – Swap out for spicy pepper jack cheese for a kick.

Frozen corn – Canned corn or fresh corn work great too.

Mayo – Duke’s is my favorite! Swap for low fat or plain Greek yogurt.

Sour cream – Sub sour cream with Greek yogurt. 

Ranch dressing mix – Switch out for taco seasoning for more of a kick.

Looking for more leftover worthy dishes? Follow LTB on Pinterest and pin to a board!

How To Make Southern Cornbread Salad

First – Prepare cornbread based on package directions. After it’s completely cooled, cut into cubes or chunks and place in a medium bowl.

Second – In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, and seasoning. Stir until combined and set aside.

Third – In a large bowl or quart trifle bowl, begin layering the salad. Use half of each to start with. Layer in this order: crumbled cornbread, beans, peppers, tomatoes, green onion, cheese, bacon, corn, and dressing.

Fourth – Repeat using the rest of the ingredients.

Fifth – Top the salad with any remaining dressing, along with green onions, crispy bacon, and/or shredded cheddar cheese.

For the full recipe and detailed baking instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Serving Suggestions

This can be either a side dish or a main dish salad because it’s full of protein and veggies. But you can serve it as a side dish next to some pork chops, fried chicken, or your favorite BBQ.

Can I make it ahead of time?

This layered salad is definitely a “make ahead” recipe, because the ingredients can be prepped up to 2 days beforehand.

I suggest keeping the cornbread separate until ready to assemble so it doesn’t get soggy.

The veggies and dressing mixture can be prepped and stored in the fridge.

Leftover cornbread doesn’t go to waste. If you still have some hanging around after making this salad, try my cornbread dressing balls.

Can I make it vegetarian?

I think this is a great salad for the vegetarians in your life. You can easily swap out the bacon for veggie crumbles, more beans, or leave it out all together.

Tips for No Leftovers

• For best results, use homemade cornbread. I recommend making a batch of cornbread the day before, and giving it time to cool.
• Feel free to mix up the layers if you want to try a new look.
• Using frozen corn kernels, you don’t need to thaw beforehand. They will thaw while the salad is chilling.
• Switch up the peppers and try red pepper or green pepper instead of the yellow or orange.
• Switch out the creamy ranch for your favorite creamy dressing.
• If you like spice, I recommend adding chili powder into your dressing, and add some hotter peppers like green chilies or jalapeno peppers

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

With sweet cornbread, veggies, bacon, and cheese, this tasty salad is a great recipe to make when you want comfort food that’s still healthy. I made my own version of cornbread salad for my family last week, and got a bunch of smiles and thumbs up!

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