Chili Cornbread Salad
Chili Cornbread Salad is a Southern-inspired layered dish that combines chunks of green chili cornbread, veggies, beans, bacon, cheese, and a creamy, Fiesta Ranch dressing. It’s a delicious weeknight meal, or great potluck, picnic, or popular side dish. Super fun for Cinco de Mayo party!
You know I love a good layered salad! We’ve been making various “cake pan” salads for years, and this Chili Cornbread Salad is a family favorite. Think of it as a salad turned casserole, if you will–a lovely Cornbread Salad Casserole with a zippy dressing!
If you want to serve a hot casserole with similar ingredients, give our Cowboy Cornbread Casserole a try!
What is Chili Cornbread Salad?
Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, baked, cooled, and then crumbled and added to the salad. We use a cornbread mix, with green chilis, which turns out perfect. Then start the layering process with the beans, veggies, creamy dressing, chunks of cornbread, and topped with bacon and cheese. The last touch is to add fresh chunks of avocado and black olives!
This popular “layered salad” gets gobbled up quickly at every party! The layering is a great way to make the salad ahead – and pop in the fridge! Grab a trifle dish or a clear 9×13 baking dish, because it’s really pretty!
More details about the Chili Cornbread Salad:
- Cornbread: The freshly baked cornbread (cooled and crumbled), starts off with cornbread/muffin mix baked with green chilis, which adds a lovely texture and a touch of spice and sweetness. There’s a little added spice of cumin and oregano. You can make a from-scratch Buttermilk Cornbread as well if you have the ingredients.
- Vegetables and Beans: We love to layer black beans with corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, green onions, black olives, and avocados.
- Dressing: Make a creamy sauce of mayo, sour cream, and Fiesta Ranch Dressing mix (easy to find in the grocery store) that binds the salad together. Yum!
- Bacon and cheese: The bacon and grated cheese add the extra flavor that is needed (nothing better than a touch of salty bacon!).
- Dish to use: Using a 9×13 baking dish, and laying the ingredients is a great way to bring a salad to a party, or prepare ahead of time a salad in general. This cornbread salad can be layered in a glass bowl or trifle dish, or a glass cake pan, allowing the different colors and ingredients be seen.
Is Chili Cornbread Salad hard to make?
Chili Cornbread Salad is easy to make! It does involve a bit of time, sinice you have to pre-bake the cornbread, but while it’s baking, you can prepare all the other ingredients. We love our Pepper Bacon recipe, which you can also cook ahead of time, allow to cool, then crumble it for the topping. The assembling only takes minutes to put together. Allow the salad to set in the fridge 2 hours so it gets nice and cold before serving.
How do I make a layered cornbread salad?
Bake the cornbread:
Prepare cornbread batter according to package directions. Stir in drained chiles, cumin and oregano. Spread the cornbread into an 8-inch baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cornbread and set aside, and crumble it when ready to use in the salad.
Make the dressing:
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and Fiesta Ranch dressing mix and set aside until ready to use.
Assemble the salad:
Crumble half of the cornbread into a 13×9-in. dish. Layer with half of the beans, sauce, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, bacon and cheese. Repeat layers (dish will be very full). End with bacon and cheese on top! Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
TIP: Before serving, add 2 chopped (in chunks) avocados, and a small can of drained sliced black olives to the top (a couple sprinkles) and SERVE!
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Vegetarian: Leave out the bacon and make it vegetarian!
- Beans: Add your favorite beans.
- Cheese: Use Jack cheese, Pepper Jack, or even Mozzarella cheese!
- Not an olive fan? Leave them out.
- Add a kick: Replace the green chilis for finely diced jalapenos!
- Does this salad need to be layered? We recommend layering the salad to keep the ingredients fresh. Otherwise they may get soggy. So yes, layer the salad before serving. Optional to toss all the ingredients together in a giant bowl and add the dressing and mix together to serve right away!
- The last step: Remember to hold out the avocodas and olives to add right before serving!
- What type of bowl do you use? You can use an epic salad bowl, or a glass trifle, 9×13, or glass bowl (pretty!) so the layers show through.
- Optional to serve the salad in layers, or you can toss it all together!
What should I serve with this salad?
This salad is great as a side dish for grilled burgers and meat. But we love it served as a main dish. It makes a lot (feeds about 12) so I like to make it and take it for summer parties. It’s such a great combination of flavors and everyone enjoys it, and it’s also delicious for Game Day or holidays.
How do I store the leftovers?
Once the salad is mixed with the Fiesta dressing, it’s best eaten at the time. However, if you do have leftovers, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavors still meld together and each bite is still delicious (but a bit soggy).
More cornbread recipes you may want to try:
Get the Recipe:
Chili Cornbread Salad
Ingredients
Make the cornbread:
- 1 8 ½ oz package cornbread/muffin mix
- 2 4 oz cans chopped green chiles, drained
- ⅛ tsp ground cumin
- ⅛ tsp dried oregano
Make the sauce:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 envelope Fiesta Ranch dip mix
Assemble the salad:
- 2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 15 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained
- 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup chopped green pepper
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 2 avocados, cut into chunks (for garnish)
- 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare cornbread batter according to package directions. Stir in drained chiles, cumin and oregano. Prepare an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the cornbread into the dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cornbread and set aside.
Make the dressing:
- Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and Fiest Ranch dressing mix. Whisk together and set aside.
Assemble the salad:
- Crumble half of the cornbread into a 13×9-in. dish. Layer with half of the beans, dressing, corn, tomatoes, green pepper, green onions, bacon and cheese. Repeat layers (dish will be very full). End with bacon and cheese on top! Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Before serving, add 2 chopped (in chunks) avocados, and a small can of drained sliced black olives to the top (a couple sprinkles) and SERVE!
Notes
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Vegetarian: Leave out the bacon and make it vegetarian!
- Beans: Add your favorite beans.
- Cheese: Use Jack cheese, Pepper Jack, or even Mozzarella cheese!
- Not an olive fan? Leave them out.
- Add a kick: Replace the green chilis for finely diced jalapenos!
- Does this salad need to be layered? We recommend layering the salad to keep the ingredients fresh. Otherwise they may get soggy. So yes, layer the salad before serving. Optional to toss all the ingredients together in a giant bowl and add the dressing and mix together to serve right away!
- The last step: Remember to hold out the avocodas and olives to add right before serving!
- What type of bowl do you use? You can use an epic salad bowl, or a glass trifle, 9×13, or glass bowl (pretty!) so the layers show through.
- Optional to serve the salad in layers, or you can toss it all together!
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
