BLT Salad
Updated October 30, 2020
Inspired by everyone’s favorite sandwich, the BLT Salad is a fresh take on a classic flavor combination. It would make a delicious lunch or side dish!
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Pin ItBLT sandwiches are a hit in our house, my boys love them! The classic combo of bacon, lettuce, and tomato is a winner every time. I decided to turn everyone’s favorite sandwich into a loaded salad!
This BLT Salad has a homemade ranch dressing, avocado, crispy bacon, homemade croutons, lettuce and tomato. I add avocado because it makes everything better:) So many good flavors and a great salad for summertime!
If you know someone that isn’t a big fan of salads, make them this one! I guarantee they will get on board! I mean, bacon in a salad? Always a crowd pleaser!
Cooking the Bacon
Bring on the bacon! You can cook the bacon on the stove top or in the oven. Cook the bacon until it’s crispy, then cut it into pieces for the salad.
Cooking it on the stove top is quick and easy. I like to use a cast iron skillet so the bacon gets nice and crispy.
To cook the bacon in the oven, put the strips in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes in an oven heated to 400 degrees. No flipping required! Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let it cool until you’re ready to use it.
Ranch Dressing
I love making my own dressing! This one is really simple and flavorful. In a small bowl, whisk together:
- Plain Greek yogurt (can use sour cream)
- Milk or buttermilk
- Lemon juice
- Fresh chives
- Dill
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried parsley
- Salt and pepper
Boom! Your dressing is done. You can make it in advance, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. It’s always nice to have on hand.
Homemade Croutons
I highly recommend making Homemade Croutons for this salad. They are SO good and add something special to your salad. You will love the crunch and flavor. Plus, the croutons bring the bread element from the BLT sandwich to the salad, tying the two together.
Assembling the Salad
You’ll want to serve this salad immediately after assembling it, but to make your job easier you can prep a lot of the salad in advance.
- Make the dressing and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to one week.
- Cook the bacon and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. You can reheat it before adding it to the salad.
- Make your croutons and keep them in a sealed container on the counter.
- You can even wash the lettuce ahead of time.
- Wait to cut the avocado until ready to serve, you don’t want it to turn brown.
- Also, wait to dress the salad until you are ready to eat!
More Salad Recipes
- Tomato, Cucumber, and Avocado Salad
- Easy Green Salad
- Tomato Salad
- Chopped Greek Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Tortellini Caesar Salad
BLT Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (can use sour cream)
- 2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped (about 8 cups)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 large ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 2 cups homemade croutons
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- First, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, milk, lemon juice, chives, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Place the bacon strips in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Turn the strips as needed until they reach the desired crispness, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain well on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, avocado, croutons, and onion. Chop the cooked bacon strips and add them to the salad. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Photos by Molly
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This is a great summer idea! I just rearranged my menus for the week – this will be dinner at our house tomorrow night. All the good things! And I needed a way to use the remnant of a two day loaf of sourdough bread…..
This is an outstanding recipe till now and one of my favorite recipe also…it looks soo yummy & classy and it perfect for summers….Thanks for sharing….! https://www.consumerkitchenstuff.com
This was a dud for us unfortunately. Making the dressing with Greek yogurt really wasn’t good.
If you don’t care for Greek yogurt you can use sour cream or mayo.
This was delicious. The whole family loved it. The croutons were so good.
Hi, this may seem like a weird question, but what kind of bacon do you buy? Yours looks so meaty and un-shrivelled! Probably a higher quality?? Thanks!
Go with thick cut bacon!
I searched for a recipe for dressing because I was already inspired to turn some leftovers into a BLT salad. This dressing is perfect! I added one more tsp of vinegar (I subbed apple cider vinegar) to thin it out a little. Used fresh chives and thyme from my garden along with the dill, garlic, salt and pepper. Such a delicious dressing and look forward to using the rest as a healthy veggie dip!
Not a hit at our house. We like the idea, but the dressing was just. . .wrong for this salad.
I made the BLT Salad as directed for a church monthly seniors’ lunch where the theme was salad. Other attendees brought the usual –pasta salad, tuna salad with pita chips, chicken salad with croissant, etc. I wanted to be different so prepared the BLT salad as directed but used Hormel bacon pieces (hate to smell up the kitchen for days). I took most ingredients to the church kitchen and combined them there b/c of the avocado, which I prepared there. I used bagged leafy romaine, not hearts. The croutons I made from a $1.00 french bread from Walmart bakery. I set a bottle of store brand buttermilk ranch dressing beside the dishes. The salad, especially the seasoned croutons were a big hit. You would have thought I had invented the wheel! Anyway, the salads with Bacon Bits and similar just didn’t stand up to real bacon. ALL the salad was eaten. People wanted the leftover croutons to take home for crunchy snacks.
I am glad everyone loved the salad.