Retro Corn Bread Salad Recipe – This classic southern salad is layered with corn bread, beans, cheese, bacon, and a flavorful lemon ranch dressing. It’s a delicious side dish to share at family dinners and potlucks!
who not Love to see an old school layered salad on the dining table?
There is something so tempting about it to see beautiful individual sections all stacked together to make a fantastic dish. And bonus points if it is presented in a small glass so that all layers really stand out!
Like many of our fabulous retro dishes, this classic is layered Cornbread Salad Recipe is an oldie, but a goodie. It gained popularity in the south before becoming a potluck staple across the country. It’s not difficult to see why everyone fell in love with this one!
The best cornbread salad recipe
You might think wait – Grain bread in a salad?
Yes! And we’re not just talking about a few croutons here …
This vintage cornbread salad from the south is super satisfying, with a hearty layer of thick corn bread as a base. It’s then loaded with layers of brightly colored vegetables, beans, cheese, a creamy and zesty lemon ranch dressing, and of course, crispy bacon.
Most of the ingredients for making this dish are prepared in advance or come pre-packaged so no cooking is required. Preparation time is a fast 20 minutes, and then you are ready to serve and enjoy.
Don’t be surprised if you ask everyone to bring this incredibly flavorful layered salad to all of your gatherings!
Ingredients you need
For the lemon ranch dressing you will need:
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- Lemon juice
- Ranch dip mix
To make this retro cornbread salad recipe you will need:
- Diced corn bread
- Baby spinach
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Shallots
- tomatoes
- paprika
- Crumbled bacon
- Canned pinto beans
- Canned sweet corn
How to make lemon ranch dressing from scratch
As soon as you try this well-known but wonderfully unique ranch dressing with lemon, I promise you that you will whip up a serving for almost all of your salads!
In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and ranch dip mix together. Stir until smooth. That’s it!
You can top or cover the lettuce right away and store in the refrigerator until you need it. Sealed in an airtight container, the dressing will keep for up to 3 or 4 days.
How to Make Classic Southern Corn Bread Salad
Next, Prepare salad ingredients: Chop cornbread, spring onions, tomatoes, peppers, and cooked bacon. Grate the cheese, drain the beans and corn. Keep all ingredients separate.
Prepare a large glass salad bowl. This salad looks really great in a straight sided bowl, like a Trifle dish.
Place that Corn bread cubes in an even layer across the bottom of the bowl.
then Layer on the spinach, tomatoes, peppers …
Next layer of corn and spring onions …
Then add grated cheese …
Get the complete (printable) retro cornbread salad recipe below. Enjoy!
And then the beans, the dressing, and the bacon. I like to make it super pretty by creating Layers of rings above with the dressing, as in the photo below.
Last, Garnish the cornbread salad with a few extra spring onions on top.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Retro corn bread salad recipe variations
There are many ways to personalize this classic salad!
You can easily put this southern cornbread salad recipe into the southwest Territory by adding and / or swapping out one of these few key ingredients:
- Add to Jalapenos for a heat kick.
- Sub shredded cheddar with shredded Pepper shaker Cheese.
- Swap pinto beans with black beans.
- Use lime Juice instead of lemon juice
- Add fresh minced meat coriander as a set
frequently asked Questions
That depends on the corn bread that makes up the base of the salad. Corn flour itself does not contain gluten, but is usually combined with flour to make corn bread. So just use your favorite gluten free blend to make this a GF friendly side dish!
To make this retro recipe for vegetarians, just leave out the chopped bacon. For a vegan dish, skip the bacon (or use your favorite alternative to plant-based bacon) and swap the grated cheese for vegan chedd’r. Make the lemon ranch dressing with your favorite non-dairy sour cream and mayo substitute.
This salad is absolutely perfect to combine with other classic southern dishes. Bring it to a potluck, picnic, or serve for dinner with slow cooker pulled pork sandwiches, baked ham, Texas style brisket, or any of your favorite dishes.
This layered salad tastes best when it is served shortly after preparation. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for a few hours. However, if you want to wait longer, leave out the dressing and bacon when preparing the dish and wait until just before serving to add these ingredients.
Looking for more satisfying salad recipes?
Retro Corn Bread Salad Recipe
A classic southern recipe for delicious cornbread salad, layered with cornbread, beans, cheese, bacon, and a flavorful lemon ranch dressing!
Servings: 16 Servings
For the layered salad –
- 5 cups diced corn bread from an 8 inch pan
- 2 cups Baby spinach packed up
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups chopped green onions
- 1 ¼ cups chopped tomatoes 2-3 tomatoes
- 1 Cup chopped peppers any color
- 1 Cup cooked crumbled bacon
- 16 ounce can pinto beans drained
- fifteen ounce can sweet corn drained
In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and ranch dip mix together. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Chop the corn bread, green onions, tomatoes, peppers, and bacon. Grate the cheese, drain the beans and corn. Keep all ingredients separate.
Prepare a large glass salad bowl. (This salad looks really good in a straight-sided bowl, like a small dish.)
Place the corn bread cubes in an even layer on the bottom of the bowl. Then layer in the spinach, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, spring onions, cheese, beans, dressing and bacon. Garnish with a few extra spring onions.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Possible add-ins or swaps: Pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, black beans, coriander, lime juice in the dressing.
Portion: 1.25cups, Calories: 515kcal, Carbohydrates: 51G, Protein: 13G, Fat: 29G, Saturated fatty acids: 11G, Polyunsaturated fat: 8thG, Monounsaturated fatty acids: 9G, Trans fats: 1G, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 862mg, Potassium: 377mg, Fiber: 4thG, Sugar: 14thG, Vitamin A: 1125IE, Vitamin C: 18thmg, Calcium: 249mg, Iron: 3mg
Make this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you cook!
Share this recipe with friends!
Post a Comment