Call it a salad, or call it a meal, nobody can ever get enough of this Southern Bacon Cornbread Salad recipe! It’s a beautiful layered salad that’s served in a trifle dish and it’s hearty enough to be a meal itself or makes a stunning side dish. With layers of cornbread, cheese, salad dressing, tomato, beans & bacon – it’s a zesty flavor combination that only the South can come up with!
Whenever I take this salad to a potluck, I always get rave reviews. It’s unexpected and the layers look so pretty in a trifle dish. You get a little taste of everything and it’s so satisfying. The corn and peppers are slightly sweet, the dressing is creamy and the beans offer great texture against the cornbread.
Make this salad ahead of time and serve it with any summer BBQ dish. It’s the side dish you’ve got to try and it’ll instantly become everyone’s favorite. If there’s a layer you don’t want, just omit it! It’s such an easy dish side side that I make year after year during the summer months.
Looking for even more great side dish recipes? Here are some of my favorites that are perfect with warm weather meals:
- Creamy Tomato Bacon Pasta Salad
- Classic Russet Potato Salad
- Grandma’s 7 Layer Salad (another great trifle salad recipe)
How To Make A Layered Bacon Cornbread Salad
What makes this recipe so special is the layered look. You can make it in any dish bowl, but I highly recommend a trifle dish. Trifle dishes are glass, so showcase the layers, and really deep. They’re great for holding large quantities of food and this salad is potluck perfect.
What To Serve With Layered Bacon Cornbread Salad
I feel like this salad pairs so well with traditional BBQ. The beans and cornbread are fitting with the tang of BBQ sauce. I’d keep other sides lighter, as this is a heavier salad that overpowers other side dishes. Here are a few of my favorite BBQ recipes to consider as a main course:
How To Make Your Salad Ahead Of Time
Yes! The layers stay nice even if you make this salad ahead of time. It’s one of the reasons why I serve this salad – so I can make it and forget about it. Make your salad up to 24 hours ahead of time and cover it with plastic wrap. Keep the salad refrigerated. Just serve it directly from the fridge when you’re ready.
Food Safety Concerns
The salad dressing is a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise. The dairy-based dressing needs to be refrigerated. If you’re serving this salad at a potluck event, be sure your salad is properly refrigerated for several hours before serving.
Avoid direct heat and do not keep the salad out for more than 30 minutes, without refrigeration. Eating mayonnaise that has been sitting out, with direct heat, is a food safety concern.
Can You Freeze This Salad?
No! This salad doesn’t freeze well. I’d avoid freezing this side dish and just make a fresh version instead of freezing it.
Easy Recipe Substitutions
My favorite substitution for this salad is buying cornbread from our bakery. It saves you time and you don’t have to heat the oven during the summer. Just crumble the bakery cornbread, just like you would if you baked it!
Other great substitutions include turkey bacon, instead of pork bacon, and omitting the peppers if you don’t like the addition of heat.
What You’ll Need From The Grocery Store:
- Corn Muffin Mix
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Dry Ranch Salad Dressing Mix Packet
- Cheddar Cheese
- Pinto Beans
- Canned Whole Kernel Corn
- Bacon
- Red, Green Peppers
- Red Tomato
- Green Onions
Directions To make Southern Layered Bacon Cornbread Salad
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the corn muffin mix according to package directions for corn bread. Spread the cornbread in a 15x10inch baking pan. Bake about 10 minutes until crisp and let it cool.
If desired, toast the crumbled cornbread so it has more structure. Cool and crumble (should be about 5 cups).
For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and salad dressing mix.
In a 3 to 4 qt. glass trifle bowl, layer the crumbled cornbread and 1 cup of the cheese.
Spread with half of the dressing. In the following order: layer beans, corn, the remaining 1 cup of cheese, bacon, tomatoes, sweet pepper and the dressing.
Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle salad with chopped green onions.
Layered Bacon Cornbread Salad
This Layered Bacon Cornbread Salad recipe is a beautiful trifle side dish! It's a southern tradition and perfect to serve with BBQ.
Ingredients
- 1 8.5oz corn muffin mix (and ingredients to make muffins)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 8oz carton sour cream
- 1 1oz packet ranch dry salad dressing mix
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 15oz cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 15.25 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained
- 10 sliced bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled
- 1/2 cup chopped red tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped green and red pepper
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the corn muffin mix according to package directions for corn bread. Spread the cornbread in a 15x10inch baking pan. Bake about 10 minutes until crisp and let it cool. If desired, toast the crumbled cornbread so it has more structure. Cool and crumble (should be about 5 cups).
3. For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and salad dressing mix.
4. In a 3 to 4 qt. glass trifle bowl, layer the crumbled cornbread and 1 cup of the cheese.
5. Spread with half of the dressing. In the following order: layer beans, corn, the remaining 1 cup of cheese, bacon, tomatoes, sweet pepper and the dressing.
6. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle salad with chopped green onions.
Notes
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours prior to serving. Do not keep the salad out for more than 30 minutes. Avoid direct heat.
- Refrigerate any leftovers. Do not freeze.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 483Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 722mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 17g
**Nutrition is calculated by a third party. Actual values may vary.