Mason jars are such a fun way to serve salads. One of my favorite mason jar salads is Cornbread Salad – a Southern specialty.
Chili in a mason jar – your favorite chili recipe, chilled, then layered with crumbled cornbread, sour cream, green onions and salsa is a fun treat to serve at a picnic or for the big game.
Cornbread Salad in a Mason Jar
Equipment
- 6 wide-mouth mason jars
Ingredients
- 1 8.5 ounce box Jiffy cornbread mix
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 ounce can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers "Mexicorn", drained
- 6 Roma tomatoes, cut into small dice
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon adobo with cumin seasoning (Goya brand, or make your own: 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin)
- 7 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups grated Mexican cheese blend
- 1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
- 2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 0.4 ounce packet buttermilk ranch salad dressing, prepared as directed on package.
- Sour cream, chopped black olives and chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Make the cornbread according to the package directions. Let it cool and crumble it into a large plastic zip-top storage bag or airtight plastic container.
- In a medium bowl, add the black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, lime zest, lime juice and adobo with cumin seasoning; stir to combine. Let the salad ingredients marinate for 30 minutes.
- In each of six wide-mouth pint-size Mason jars, add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons cornbread crumbles, 1 1/2 teaspoons bacon, 1 tablespoon cheese blend,1 1/2 teaspoons green onions, 3 tablespoons seasoned bean salad, 2 tablespoons lettuce and 1 tablespoon ranch dressing. Slightly press down each layer with the back of a spoon.
- Repeat the layers to fill the jars. Cover and refrigerate the salads at least one hour, or up to 4 hours before serving. (If stored longer,the mixture will get mushy.) Garnish with sour cream, chopped cilantro and chopped black olives.
