If you love BLT sandwiches you are going to love this BLT salad! It's a unique version of the classic BLT sandwich in salad form and a great way to showcase sweet garden-ripe tomatoes. Crispy bacon is mixed with sweet tomatoes, crunchy romaine lettuce, and grilled garlic toast croutons. Then, it's all topped with fresh chopped creamy herb dressing.
This is a great salad to serve as a side dish when entertaining or perfect for a weeknight dinner main course.
BLT salad, aka bacon lettuce tomato salad, is a classic flavor combination, is easy to make, and is loved by everyone! I love to make this salad in the summertime when tomatoes are in season. Fresh garden tomatoes are so good and it's hard not to eat them at every meal.
If you grow garden fresh tomatoes like I do and need some recipes and ways to preserve your tomato harvest, check out this homemade crushed tomato guide and ways to use fresh tomatoes post.
Let's make this BLT salad...
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❓What Makes This BLT Salad Recipe Unique?
- The dressing: This creamy basil dressing is a combination of the pesto mayo I use when making classic BLT Sandwiches and my restaurant ranch dressing recipe. It's loaded with fresh basil pesto flavor that compliments the sweet tomatoes and salty bacon perfectly.
- Grilled garlic toast croutons: These toast croutons are much easier and quicker to make than traditional homemade croutons. You'll just toast some fresh bread then rub it with fresh garlic and break into rustic bite-sized pieces. Easy and delicious!
🥓 Ingredients You'll Need
For the Salad:
- Lettuce: I used a nice crunchy romaine lettuce. I found pre-washed, baby romaine hearts at my local grocery store. Such as a time saver - no washing or chopping needed!
- Bacon: I like to use a nice thick, center-cut bacon I get from the meat counter. Of course, use your favorite!
- Tomatoes: I used sweet cherry tomatoes but you can use grape tomatoes or your favorite fresh tomatoes. Any type of tomato will work.
- Avocado: (optional) If you're a fan, make this an avocado BLT salad! The creamy avocado adds a creamy texture to the salad which makes it luxurious and extra tasty.
- Sourdough bread: I like to use fresh bakery sourdough for the tangy flavor that it adds. You can use whatever bread you like, but make sure it's good quality and fresh.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is added to the bread before grilling to add a toasty crunch and depth of flavor.
- Garlic clove: To rub on the grilled bread after cooking to add a nice garlic flavor.
- Salt and black pepper: To finish the salad.
For the pesto salad dressing:
- Mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Basil or dried basil
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Lemon Juice
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Milk regular
- Parmesan cheese grated
- Salt and Pepper
👩🍳 How to Make This Salad
Make the dressing
Finely chop the basil. Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust as needed. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld.
🌿 Flavor Tip: (Optional but amazing!) Make the dressing 1 hour to 1 day before serving to allow the flavors to deepen and develop.
Grill or toast the bread
Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Slice the bread into ¼-1/2 inch slices. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and add to the preheated skillet. Keep a close eye on the bread, and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy, then flip and repeat on the second side. Remove from heat and immediately rub with the whole garlic clove. Set aside.
🧄 Garlic Tip: Slice the rough end off with a sharp knife to create a blunt surface. This will make it easier to rub the garlic on the toast.
Cook the bacon
Carefully arrange the bacon in a single layer in the preheated skillet (medium heat) and cook, flipping the pieces often (every 1-2 minutes) to promote even browning, until they reach the desired crispiness. (8 to 15 minutes). Remove and place cooked bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to cool for 2 minutes.
Assemble the salad
In a large bowl or on a large serving platter, add chopped romaine lettuce, and the tomatoes. Crumble the bacon and tear the garlic toast into bite-sized pieces, then add to the salad. Finish with some avocado slices, salt, and pepper, drizzle with the dressing, and serve! Serve with the rest of the dressing on the side.
🍅 Substitutions and Additions
A few addition ideas:
- Veggies: Add red onion or pickled red onions, fresh corn, or cucumbers.
- Cheese: Add cheddar cheese, blue cheese, feta cheese, or fresh mozzarella.
- More protein: Add grilled chicken, hard-boiled eggs, or steak to increase the protein in this delicious salad.
Substitutions:
- Bacon: Use turkey bacon, or veggie bacon or you can even crisp up some prosciutto to change things up a bit.
- Pesto dressing: Use homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing instead. If you're not a fan of creamy dressings, use your favorite vinaigrette and add some chopped fresh basil.
- Romaine lettuce: Use your favorite fresh lettuce, but it's best as served as a crunchy salad with a crunchy type of lettuce.
🥗 Make a healthier version of this salad: Use turkey bacon or veggie bacon and this healthy ranch dressing to make a lower-calorie BLT salad.
🥡 Make Ahead Prep and Storage
- Dressing: Make the dressing up to 1-2 days before serving and store refrigerated in a covered mason jar or airtight container.
- Bacon: Pre-cook the bacon up to 3 days before serving, but leave it slightly undercooked. Reheat the bacon in the microwave for 30-60 seconds or until heated through and crispy.
- Lettuce: Chop and wash the lettuce up to 2 days before serving. Chop, wash, and dry the lettuce well, and store it in an airtight container. Cover the lettuce with a slightly damp clean paper towel (this prevents the lettuce from going bad).
🥗 More Summer Salads
- Peach and burrata salad
- Crunchy Caesar
- Little Gem with Sherry Vinaigrette
- Strawberry spinach salad
- Deli-style mushroom salad
If you tried this BLT salad 🥓or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
BLT Salad with Creamy Pesto Ranch Dressing
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.
Ingredients
- 7 oz package Romaine Hearts or 1-2 heads, chopped and washed
- 5 slices bacon thick-cut or use your favorite
- 20 small Fresh Tomatoes cherry tomatoes, whole or cut in half. Or 1-2 large tomatoes of your choice cut into chunks
- 1 medium avocado sliced
- 2 slices Sourdough Bread bakery style, cut ¼ - ½ inch thick
- 1 clove Fresh Garlic with the hard end sliced off to rub on the toast
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil for drizzling
- Flaky Sea Salt sprinkle, to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
Creamy Pesto Ranch Dressing
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise or Greek yogurt for a lower fat option
- 2 tbsp Sour Cream
- 2-3 tablespoon Fresh Basil finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice fresh squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Distilled White Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
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Instructions
- Make the dressing: Finely chop the basil. Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust as needed. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld.
- Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Slice the bread into 2 ¼-inch slices. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and add to the preheated skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden and crispy, then flip and repeat on the second side. Remove from heat and immediately rub with the garlic clove. Set aside.
- Carefully arrange the bacon in a single layer in the preheated skillet and cook, flipping the pieces often (every 1-2 minutes) to promote even browning, until they reach the desired crispiness. (8 to 15 minutes). Remove and place cooked bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to cool for 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl or on a large serving platter, add chopped romaine lettuce, and the tomatoes. Crumble the bacon and tear the garlic toast into bite-sized pieces, then add to the salad. Finish with some avocado slices, salt, and pepper, drizzle with the dressing, and serve! If desired, serve with the rest of the dressing on the side.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD PREP
- Dressing: Make the dressing up to 1-2 days before serving and store refrigerated in a covered mason jar or airtight container.
- Bacon: Pre-cook the bacon up to 3 days before serving, but leave it slightly undercooked. Reheat the bacon in the microwave for 30-60 seconds or until heated through and crispy.
- Lettuce: Chop and wash the lettuce up to 2 days before serving. Chopping and washing the lettuce well, store it in an airtight container. Cover the lettuce with a lightly damp paper towel (this prevents the lettuce from going bad).
Nutrition
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Vall
Awesome looking salad. Can’t wait to taste it!