Southwest Bean Salad Panzanella

My last entry into the Paisley Farm Holiday Blogger Recipe Challenge is definitely my favorite! I typically go for Southwest flavors anyway, and when I tasted their Southwest Bean Salad it was love at first bite! Mix that together with crispy crunchy cornbread croutons, cheese and cilantro and you've got the perfect potluck side dish for any occasion!

If you've never heard of panzanella before, it's pretty much a bread salad. A salad made of carbs. Hooray!
Traditionally, day old bread is cubed and tossed with whatever was in the garden; tomatoes, cucumbers and a vinaigrette and as it sits, the juices from the veggies soften the bread and make it perfectly delicious. In my version, I used cubed cornbread and added cheese, green onion and cilantro to go along with the black beans, corn, peppers and onion already in the Paisley Farm Southwest Bean Salad

Southwest Bean Salad Panzanella

4 cups cornbread cut into 1-inch cubes

1 ½ Tablespoons marinade from the jar of Paisley Farm Southwest Bean Salad

1 ½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1 jar Paisley Farm Southwest Bean Salad, drained

½ cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

¼ cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped

¼ cup sliced green onion

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Lay the cornbread cubes on a small cookie sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil spray, and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned and toasted.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the marinade from the Bean Salad, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice and cumin. Add the Bean Salad, cheese, cilantro and green onion and stir until it’s well mixed. Add the toasted cornbread cubes to the bowl and stir gently. Serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 servings

Paisley Farm Foods sent me their delicious line of products to test out and create recipes with for their Holiday Blogger Recipe Challenge. They've been making flavorful bean salads and marinated vegetables since 1945! Find their delicious line of products HERE

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