Grilled Bacon Corn Salad

Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.

A simple grilled bacon and corn salad with lots of veggies, herbs, and feta cheese. Plus a video tutorial to show you how to cook bacon on the grill!

If you’re gearing up for Labor Day or have plenty of veggies from your garden that are begging to be made into something delicious, then this is just the recipe you’ll want to use! It’s packed with veggies and protein and has a delicious honey-lime dressing that is so quick to whip together.

The best thing about this salad is the unique smoky flavor it gets from grilling the bacon and corn. If you’ve never grilled bacon or corn you’re missing out! The flavors are incredible! And the lack of mess (bacon grease I’m talking about you…) during the process of making this salad is definitely something you’ll love.
Although this salad has greens, the lettuce is definitely not the star of the show. In this recipe, the mixed greens are just like a vegetable addition to a salad — they aren’t supposed to make up the base of the salad.

It’s a fun way to add in some more veggies and a different flavor to this corn salad.Okay so let’s talk about cooking bacon ON the grill! Grilling bacon keeps the mess, heat, and smells ALL outside while also giving your bacon an extra delicious smoky flavor. And it couldn’t be easier to do!

So first, let’s start with the type of bacon I used. I grabbed Wright® Brand Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon from Walmart to use for this recipe and video tutorial. This bacon is hand-selected and trimmed into thick-cut pieces that are 100% wood smoked over hickory chips. YUM.

Next you’ll grab a large sheet of heavy duty tin foil and fold up each side to create a lip with the center being flat for the bacon. This will ensure that the grease stays IN the foil (you don’t want any of that grease falling into the grill!) which you can then let solidify, crumple up the foil, and throw it all away!

Once the foil bed is made and the bacon is placed in it, it’s ready to go on the grill! The cooking times will vary widely depending on the temperature of the grill, the size of the bacon strips, and your personal preference for how crispy the bacon is. So make sure to check the bacon often. The total cooking time should be no more than 20 minutes and if you prefer “softer” bacon, it could be ready in as little as 7-10 minutes.

Regardless of the total cooking times you’ll want to flip the bacon every 3-5 minutes. Time to get some bacon grilling! 🙂

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Grilled Bacon Corn Salad

Prep Time

25 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Servings: 6 -8 as a side

Ingredients

• 4 and 1/2 cups fresh corn ~6 ears
• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 (~2/3rds cup) small red pepper diced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
• 4 green onions sliced
• 2 cups packed mixed greens/spinach
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• Optional: additional chopped cilantro

Dressing

• 1 tablespoons large lime (~2-3 juice and 2 teaspoons zest)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon jalapeno finely minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F.
2. Using heavy duty tin foil, prepare a surface for the bacon and lift all edges to keep the grease in. Place the bacon in even layers and set on the grill. Cook, flipping every 3-5 minutes until bacon has reached preferred doneness (7-10 minutes for softer bacon and 15+ minutes for crispier bacon)
3. Place the ears of corn in a large bowl of water with 1 tablespoon of salt for 10 minutes and then remove from water and shake to dry. Rub the vegetable oil evenly over all of the corn on the cobs. Place the corn on the grill, cover the grill, and cook for 15-20 minutes turning the corn every 5 minutes.
4. You'll know the corn is done when the kernels are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
5. Allow the corn to cool and then slice the corn off the cob.
6. Add corn to a large bowl bowl with black beans.
7. Meanwhile prep the veggies: dice the red pepper, halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the green onions.
8. Toss together all the veggies with the lettuce and the corn. Finely chop the cooked bacon and add that. If desired coarsely chop cilantro and add that.
9. For the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together adding about 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
10. Add the dressing right before serving* along with the feta cheese.
11. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

*Only add dressing to what you will eat in the same night. Dressed leftovers get soggy.

More delicious salads:

Italian Chicken Pasta Salad

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.