Cornbread Salad - How To Make Cornbread Salad

This recipe and photo are courtesy of Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX. Check out more of Cynthia's Southwest Recipes.

This is one of the most colorful, and flavorful, salads you can imagine. The first time I made it, my husband said it reminded him of a holiday. I thought maybe he meant it tasted like some sort of chilled stuffing, but he meant because of the holiday colors in it.

I came up with the recipe after having eaten one very similar while at a women’s retreat in the Guadalupe Mountains of Southeastern New Mexico. I didn’t have the foresight to ask for the recipe, and by the time I thought about making it for myself, it wasn’t as fresh in my mind as to what was in it. I did a little adding, and taking away, until I came up with this version that we all seem to like. The only bad part of this recipe is that if there are any leftovers, they do not keep well nor do they freeze. If you have enough people for the meal though, leftovers shouldn’t be a problem!

Cornbread Salad Recipe

Recipe Type: Salad and Salad Dressing, Cornbread, Chile Pepper, Bread Salad
Yields: 6 servings
Prep time: 30 min

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups prepared Cornbread (this is great for using up leftover cornbread)
3 slices of bacon, crisply-cooked and crumbled after cooling
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 medium jalapeno chile pepper, deveined and seeds removed then chopped fine
1 large ripe tomato, diced
2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped fine
2 medium dill pickles, finely chopped
1 tablespoon pimiento, diced*
1/4 cup mayonnaise, small amount more can be added if salad is too dry
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dry parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

* Pimientos are roasted sweet red peppers that have been preserved in oil. TIP: After opening and using part of a jar of pimientos, to prolong life of remaining pimientos, add a teaspoon of white vinegar and refrigerate.

Preparation:

In a large bowl, crumble the cornbread until pieces are about pea sized or smaller. Add the bacon, onion, jalapeno chile pepper, tomato, eggs, dill pickle, and pimiento; mix together thoroughly. Add the mayonnaise, and combine well. NOTE: Mixing the dry ingredients before adding in the mayonnaise helps to disperse the ingredients evenly throughout the salad.

If the salad seems to dry, add 1 teaspoon mayonnaise at a time until it is well coating. Remember, the cornbread is going to absorb some of the liquid from the tomatoes and the mayonnaise, so it will not be as dry when you are ready to serve it, as it seems when mixing it.

Add the garlic salt, parsley, and black pepper, tasting to make sure it is to your liking. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes approximately 6 servings.