Spicy Cornbread Salad

This recipe may have been my favorite find this year.  (And, Lordy! That’s saying something!) I have made it several times.  I have forced my friends to make it, I have made my kids eat some of it, and I have tricked a pal into taking it to a work luncheon where it got rave reviews.  I have even made a batch, hidden it in the back of the refrigerator, and then eaten it all myself over the course of a week.

Now I had heard of cornbread salad and glanced at recipes, but it sounded silly.  I am acquainted with layered potluck salads, and they are usually too mayonnaise-y for me, and not at all appealing.  I don’t know what possessed me to make this version one sweltering Sunday afternoon several weeks back, but I did and life hasn’t been the same since.

Spicy Cornbread Salad really will last the better part of the week in the refrigerator.  I don’t know why. It’s a miracle, apparently. Its flavors meld during that first several hours, and then nothing untoward happens for days on end. You would think it would get soggy, but no, it doesn’t.  This salad plus an 8-piece box of fried chicken from your favorite chicken place is a fantastic–and fully portable–lunch or dinner. Try it with grilled Conecuh sausage, or spicy barbeque chicken. Take note: It’s a vegetable and starch all in one.  Very convenient! That pal above who took it to work served it with cold sliced London Broil in vinaigrette, which sounds really good right now.

This salad is best if left to meld overnight in the refrigerator.  It’s very pretty in a glass bowl. This recipe serves 8. If you’re taking it to a potluck, double it.

Print Recipe

Spicy Cornbread Salad

Ingredients

• 1 packet Mexican cornbread mix, cooked according to package directions, cooled and crumbled
• 2 cans tomatoes and chilies, drained
• 3 scallions, green and white parts, chopped
• 4 ears cooked corn, cut off the cob, or 2 cans whole white corn, drained
• 2 cups sour cream, or a combo of sour cream and buttermilk
• 1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
• 4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Crumble the cornbread and set aside. 
• Combine the tomatoes, corn, and scallions and set aside. 
• Mix together the sour cream, buttermilk if using, and dressing mix.  Set aside.
• Layer the salad like this:  

  ½ the crumbled cornbread,

  ½ the tomato mixture including ½ of any accumulated juices,

  ½ the crumbled bacon,

  ½ the dressing

  ½ the cheese.

  Repeat. 
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.