Celebrity

‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Blueberry Cornbread Panzanella Is a Unique Summer Salad Recipe

Ree Drummond makes an easy summer salad that has a unique spin on croutons - they're made from cornbread. She tops it with a sweet and savory blueberry salad dressing.

by Wendy Michaels

Published on June 6, 2022

2 min read

Ree Drummond’s easy summer salad recipe is perfect for a potluck or barbecue

Drummond demonstrated how to make the salad recipe on an episode of The Pioneer Woman dedicated to her top picks for “things to bring to a BBQ.” She made recipes that are “portable ideas for barbeque season” and called the blueberry cornbread panzanella a “stunning salad … certain to be the star of any spread.”

“Barbecue season is so much fun and I really like to host them but I especially love to attend them,” Drummond shared. “Especially when it’s a potluck barbecue. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to take along.”

She decided to give a classic panzanella salad “a blueberry cornbread twist.”

“A salad is always a predictable choice for a potluck barbecue but there is nothing predictable about blueberry cornbread panzanella,” she noted. “It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and it is a gorgeous salad — definitely fit for a queen.”

‘The Pioneer Woman’ star made the components of the salad

Drummond placed blueberries in a saucepan with honey, champagne vinegar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. “This is going to be the dressing for the Panzanella,” she said. “So delicious, so pretty. This is going to be one delicious dressing.”

She heated and boiled the ingredients “until the berries break apart and it becomes one delicious mixture.”

Drummond shared the process for her croutons. “These delicious, crunchy little wonders are made with my skillet cornbread,” she said.

The Food Network star mixed buttermilk, milk, egg, and baking soda into cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder, added shortening, then poured it into a skillet with melted shortening. She placed it in a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven and baked it for 20 minutes.

Drummond cubed the cornbread and placed the pieces on a sheet pan greased with butter, drizzled more butter over them, and seasoned the bread. The Pioneer Woman star baked the croutons in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven for 8 minutes, turned them over and cooked the cornbread another 8 minutes.

“I could totally snack on these croutons and they would disappear before they even made it into the salad,” she shared.

Drummond made the salad dressing and assembled the salad

To make the dressing, Drummond added the blueberry mixture to a blender, placed the lid on, and pulsed it. Then she drizzled in olive oil while the blender was running on low to make “beautiful purple dressing.” She added salt and pepper and blended the dressing one last time.

Drummond shared that the components can be taken to a party and assembled on-site. She placed arugula on a platter with some croutons, and halved cherry tomatoes, then topped it with more arugula, more croutons, and more tomatoes. She added blueberries, crumbled goat cheese, and a drizzle of dressing. Drummond added torn basil for a “final touch.”