Our Old Fashioned recipe for cornbread salad with Jiffy is a perfect side dish during the holidays or a barbecue! Layers of sweet kernel corn, cheese, beans, tomatoes and more in a glass dish makes it pretty to serve to guests.
If you’re looking for a great side dish for the holidays this easy layered cornbread salad is delicious! I had a version of this when I was down South for a visit and decided to put a West Coast spin on it.
The items I was given to incorporate into a tasty dish were Sweet Whole Kernel Corn, feta cheese, basil, and lemon. This whole thing starts with making a batch of Jiffy cornbread in cast iron skillet, or method of your choice.
You’ll want to make baked or Instant Pot Cornbread first so it can cool completely, then you’re going to crumble it with your hands and use that as one layer. Let your kids get involved in the part of it, they will love you for it.
The beauty of this is that it not only tastes delicious but looks really pretty too. You have to have something like this trifle dish you see above so it is clear and you can see all the colors and textures from top to bottom.
What are the ingredients in cornbread salad?
Cornbread, you can use Jiffy cornbread mix in the oven to crumble when cooled so it doesn’t have to cook pretty when done. And then comes all the goodness to layer in between the layers to make a casserole of sorts, we use;
3 cans whole kernel corn drained and used for more texture for sure. Sweet kernels are nice if you can find them. The next layer I do is some Feta & cheddar cheese too.
I like diced tomatoes which is easiest if you just buy those canned, and drained to remove the moisture so its not soggy.
Pinto beans or black beans rinsed and drained is typically what I choose but really any variation will work. Great Northern Beans are another choice I go with often.
And then you want a creamy sauce to layer in there which is made of Ranch dressing mix salad dressing – 1 oz. dry mix in a packet or use larger container, Sour cream, and some Mayonnaise.
What else can you add?
If you wanted to make this spicy I will many times make a batch of our Jiffy Corn Muffins with Sour Cream and crumble that. Crumbled bacon is a fave or you could use a package of real bacon bits, Diced bell pepper is great and/or Green onions for garnish on top with some air fryer croutons.
Substitutions
What can I use in Jiffy cornbread instead of milk? There are many substitutions you can make. When it comes to the baking portion you can make this dairy free with just water or a lactose free dairy product like almond milk works too.
If you aren’t a big fan of green peppers, leave them out. Use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar. Like our bacon pasta salad you can add protein. You could us white whole kernel corn if you’d rather. Some people say they have a hard time finding ranch dressing packets in the store, well you can make your own ranch dressing mix in a small bowl here.
How to Make Cornbread Salad
Unlike our dill pickle pasta salad, each layer is prepped, and then you just layer in the dish so you can see each one. An even thickness all the way across is best and a variety of colors is idea. Green tomatoes would be a yummy substitute if they were in season. Just make it yourself and see how much fun it is to make and create. 😉
That is why I love this easy side dish. If I forget something or know someone who doesn’t care for one of the ingredients, I can adjust accordingly and it still tastes fabulous. It’s a great recipe if you have a vegetable garden outside too! Want to add meat like our macaroni tuna salad recipe, I would suggest diced ham or bacon bits.
You can see all the layers here. I decided to load it up this time and increased the amount of corn because I love the vibrant colors. It brings a sweet crunch to this layered cornbread salad too. I happened to have bacon already so I included that. If you want to make it vegetarian you can easily leave that and/or the cheese out.
Cornbread Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 trifle dish
- 1 9×9 pan to bake cornbread first
Ingredients
- 4 cup Corn, kernels, canned, drained
- 1/2 cup Feta cheese, or more if desired
- 3 tbsp basil, finely chopped, plus 1 whole for garnish on the top
- 1 large Lemon, optional
- 4 medium Tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup Sour cream, or plain greek yogurt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 pkt Ranch dressing mix, dry mix
- 1 1/2 small Bell peppers, I use 1/2 of all 3 colors – optional
- 30 oz Pinto beans, canned, drained
- 1/2 cup Green onions, diced, optional
- 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 7 strips Bacon, optional, or use packaged real bacon bits
- 16 oz Jiffy cornbread mix, and ingredients to make it, bake it, crumble it
Instructions
- Bake your cornbread according to the directions on the package. Cook your bacon and dice it up when it is cooked and cooled. When cornbread is cool use a fork to mash it up into a sand like texture. Set aside.
- Chop and dice all your fresh vegetables into small bite size pieces.
- Mix together your tomatoes, bell peppers, and green onions if you included them.
- In another bowl whisk together your mayo, sour cream, and dry ranch dressing mix packet. (I then spoon it into a pint freezer bag and snip the corner off so I can squeeze it out.)
- In a tall trifle dish layer 1/3 of your ingredients at a time. Start with the crushed cornbread, then your tomato mixture, then your two layers of cheeses, followed by drained pinto beans, chopped bacon, drained kernel corn, and sprinkle of chopped basil.
- Squeeze 1/3 of your mayonnaise mixture on top in a swirl.
- Do 2 more layers this way until all of your ingredients are gone.
- Put 1 whole piece of basil on top to garnish, and squeeze half a lemon over the top!
- Serve immediately or keep cool in your fridge for an hour or two and then serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other popular side dishes you’l llove
First of all it depends on what time of year you’re talking about. Most people like to use what’s in season so summer side dishes would differ from Christmas side dishes. This one uses canned ingredients though so you can make it year round!! If it were up to me we are all about Jiffy hush puppies nowadays
I mean Instant Pot bacon ranch potatoes is another savory choice that people love and ask for over and over again. You can add lots of cheese or leave that off. Ninja foodi French fries and steak fries rock too and are cheap to make.
Just like if you were making our Creamy pasta salad, you just cover and chill when you’re done. It is better colder than room temperature if you ask me. About an hour will do, then serve this with your main dish. If you love layered salads like this you’ll love this ambrosia recipe too.
Make our old fashioned corn bread salad recipe here! Just like Paula Deen’s version we will show you how to make a salad with cornbread crumbled up, layered and a beautiful side dish with vegetables served cold at a barbecue or at a party. Served in a trifle dish it is always a huge hit.
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My family, friends & co-workers love this recipe for cornbread salad. Depending on what I have on hand, I’ve substituted black beans for pinto, skipped the bacon & went with shredded Rotisserie chicken or ground beef , used Mexican blend cheese & added sliced black olives. Also good served over tortilla chips or fritos. I’ve even mixed in some spanish rice when I wanted to stretch the servings. This is such a versatile recipe! Thank you, Justine.