A delicious salad made using crumbled cornbread and a variety of vegetables, mixed with a mayonnaise and sour cream Ranch dressing and garnished with a little crumbled cornbread, bacon, tomatoes, green onion and parsley. A great addition to your next potluck or party!
Cornbread Salad
I confess. Cornbread salad is not something that many of us grew up knowing about here in South Mississippi, but ever since learning about it a couple years back from Tommie, a dear friend from Oklahoma, I have wanted to give it a try.
While I do think it's more common over that way, Cornbread Salad seems to be making its way across the whole of the South more so these days.
I admit, it does come off sounding an odd contrast of textures, but so many people who are familiar with it seem to love it, so hey, I'm game for anything!
I recommend a full batch of skillet cornbread set aside for this recipe, though I've used about 3/4 of a skillet very successfully after preparing cornbread for supper.
I'll be honest with y'all. I really didn't know how I was gonna like this dish, and it took me a few bites to get past my own judgment. Once I did, this salad absolutely grew on me and every time I took another serving of it from the fridge, I loved it more and more.
The first time I made this, I decided to use a deep bowl and layered the salad, making a nice presentation if you're taking this to a party, potluck or a church supper.
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| Cornbread salad, layered in a clear bowl, makes a beautiful presentation. Simply toss before serving! |
I started with Tommie's basics, and added my own touches, though in truth, this is a very versatile salad, both in the way that it is presented and the ingredients. You can use many different things in it to personalize it to your tastes.
Pintos seem to be more common in Texas and Oklahoma when a bean is added, but for here in The Deep South, I like purple hull or black-eyed peas better. I love both Vidalia and purple onions, and I also found that I really liked the addition of sweet pickles and juice, or even chow chow, as well as a protein of some kind. My favorites are a Cajun fried turkey breast or ham from the deli.
I've also included some additional add-in suggestions and variations that both Tommie and the readers on our Facebook page shared with us, showing the true versatility of this salad.
As shown here, presentation can easily be adapted too - in a shallow dish, layered in a glass bowl (don't forget to toss before serving) or mixed up and garnished as above. Frankly, I'm a little undecided yet whether I prefer this salad layered, or simply mixed up and left to marinate that way because I've liked it every way I've tied it!
For the layered version, I top it with the dressing and let it sit in the fridge for several hours, then toss it just before serving.
Even better is to layer this whole salad in a 9 x 13 inch clear baking dish instead of a deep bowl. The more shallow oblong pan allows for the flavors to meld together better without having to mix the salad up.
Simply layer it as indicated, let it marinate in the refrigerator, and then, serve it as-is, without mixing.
When I've mixed the salad, as it sat in the fridge a couple of days, it actually really developed its flavor and tasted better and better each time I had a serving out of it.
This is a perfect summertime salad at home, or for your next party, church supper, or potluck. If you've never heard of it before, I know it sounds different, but why not give it a try? The amounts given in the recipe are relative - use more or less to your own liking and adjust the dressing to the consistency that you like. Here's how to make it.
For more of my favorite salad recipes, check out this collection on my Pinterest page!
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