Cornbread Salad

"Cornbread Salad?  That's...um...interesting."  That's the first reaction when I first take this layered salad into a dinner party.  "Can I have the recipe?" is the question I get several times by the end of the event. 

When I make this salad, I change the ingredients a little.  I omit the bacon, beans, and tomatoes and add two cans of chopped green chilies.  So, you can certainly add or omit ingredients to suit your taste.

This recipe was adapted from All Recipes.  My changes are noted.


Cornbread Salad

 1 (16 oz) or 2 (8.5 oz) corn bread mix

 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I omit)

 1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix

 1 1/2 cups sour cream (I use lite)

 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise (I use lite)

 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained (I omit)

 3 tomatoes, chopped (I omit)

 6 chopped green onions

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 (4.25 oz) cans diced green chilies (my addition)

1 cup chopped green bell pepper (I like two bell peppers -one green and one red)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Prepare corn bread according to package directions. Cool, crumble, and set aside.

Mix together the dressing mix, sour cream, and mayonnaise.

Crumble half the corn bread in the bottom of a large serving dish. Top with half of each ingredient: the beans, tomatoes, green onions, corn, green chilies, bacon, and cheese.  Spread with half of the salad dressing mixture. Repeat the layers.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

10 to 12 servings