This Jalapeño Corn Bread Panzanella Combines Stuffing and Salad into One Delicious, Buttery Dish
Homemade jalapeño-infused corn bread croutons add a spicy crunch to this bread salad.
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When you think stuffing, you typically think of a pretty dense dish. But why not lighten this fall classic up by turning it into a decadent, delicious salad? We’re turning it into a panzanella salad by adding fresh veggies and turning the bread into crunchy croutons. With a batch of buttery homemade corn bread, crunchy fresh veggies paired with fragrant herbs and a light vinaigrette, this is a dish you can serve as a side or a main well beyond gatherings and get-togethers.
Plus, this salad will save you time. You can make all the components in advance and assemble just before serving to avoid it getting soggy. We highly recommend making the corn bread from scratch as we do here, but you can also buy corn bread and continue at Step 2 — don’t worry, it will still be delicious.
Be a Better Cook
Here’s a tip that’s time-saving and creates enough leftovers for another meal. You can surprise your family with warm corn bread with butter the morning after you serve this panzanella salad. Simply double the recipe (Step 1) and save one for breakfast the next day, or freeze for another time. Corn bread can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 for 4 hours on the countertop. To reheat, wrap in foil and warm in a 350°F oven.
Buttery Jalapeño Corn Bread Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
Corn bread
- 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup medium-grind cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3⁄4 tsp sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1⁄4 cup organic unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp raw honey
Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1⁄4 tsp each sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 1 1⁄2 lb mixed tomatoes (cherry, cocktail, heirloom), halved, quartered or chopped
- 1 English cucumber, cut into 1⁄4-inch half-rounds
- 1⁄4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1⁄4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped or torn
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Preparation
- Prepare corn bread: Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, jalapeño, milk, butter and honey; add egg mixture to large bowl with flour mixture and combine just until moistened. Pour into baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn bread out onto a rack and cool for 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
- Cut corn bread into 3⁄4-inch cubes. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and mist with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and toasted, tossing the corn bread halfway through. Cool to room temperature.
- Prepare vinaigrette: Combine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil.
- In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, basil and chives. Mix in the vinaigrette. Gently stir in corn bread croutons just before serving.
Make Ahead: Make corn bread croutons up to 1 day ahead. (Or make the corn bread up to 3 months ahead, freeze and then make the croutons 1 day ahead.) Prep the vinaigrette up to 1 day ahead. Prep the vegetables and assemble right before serving.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1⁄8 of recipe
- Calories 362
- Carbohydrate Content 44 g
- Cholesterol Content 65 mg
- Fat Content 18 g
- Fiber Content 3 g
- Protein Content 7 g
- Saturated Fat Content 6 g
- Sodium Content 430 mg
- Sugar Content 10 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 10 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 2 g