BLT Salad Recipe

This BLT Salad Recipe is inspired by the classic sandwich. A bed of romaine lettuce is topped with crispy bacon, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, garlic croutons, crumbled blue cheese and homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.

It’s hard to find one meal my husband and I both really enjoy. Many days one of us is compromising. A classic BLT sandwich is one meal we both finish and wish we had more of. So naturally, a loaded BLT Salad is next on the menu and if you’re thinking you’ll be missing the toasted bread – think again – homemade croutons to the rescue.

What is a BLT Salad?

A BLT Salad is all the flavors we love in the classic sandwich – crispy thick cut bacon, fresh chopped lettuce and sliced sweet summer tomatoes. The salad also includes thinly sliced red onion and crumbled blue cheese for even more flavor. The blue cheese goes so well with the salty bacon.

BLT Salad recipe ingredients:

• thick cut bacon cooked to crisp
• Romaine lettuce
• tomatoes
• crumbled blue cheese
• croutons (packaged or see below for homemade)
• red onion

how to make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

If you have a creamy dressing you already enjoy, feel free to go with but if you have a few minutes and these simple ingredients, I urge you to give this Buttermilk Ranch Dressing a try. It’s so good and homemade salad dressing is a game changer.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by blending 1/4 cup of milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice then whisk to combine. This will give you the 1/4 cup of buttermilk called but in the recipe.

• plain Greek yogurt
• buttermilk
• mayonnaise
• lemon juice
• dry dill
• garlic powder
• chives
• fresh Italian parsley
• salt and pepper

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl then whisk until blended. Taste and adjust salt to your preference then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the salad.

Homemade croutons:

Salad croutons are the perfect thing to make with leftover bread. Using any bread you have on hand, cut or tear into smallish (bite size) pieces. Drizzle with olive oil (or even a little butter) then season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. 

Add the croutons to a large skillet and saute over medium heat 4-5 minutes or until they’re browned and crisp (lower the heat if they’re getting too dark). 

Assembling the blt salad:

This is an easy summer meal that can even be prepped ahead of time:

• Make the dressing and refrigerate up to 5 days.
• Cooked bacon can keep in the fridge in a sealed container (reheat before adding to the salad).
• Croutons will keep in a sealed container on the counter up to 2 days.

To assemble the BLT Salad, add the lettuce to a large bowl or platter then top with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing just before eating. 

Looking for other ingredients to add to the salad? Here are a few ideas:

• grilled corn
• sliced avocado
• grilled zucchini
• sliced cucumbers
• fresh basil
• sliced green onions

Enjoy!

If you tried this BLT SALAD recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating!

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BLT Salad

Classic BLT sandwich flavors in a fresh summer salad that's a whole meal in itself.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

BLT Salad

• 6 slices thick cut bacon cooked to crisp
• 6-7 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes sliced (opt: grape tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbled
• 2 cups croutons see body of post for how to make homemade
• 1/4 small red onion thinly sliced

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk see post re: how to make buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dry dill
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chives chopped
• teaspoon fresh Italian parsley chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt + pinch of black pepper

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Instructions

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

• Add all of the ingredients to a bowl then whisk. Taste and adjust salt to your preference and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the salad.

Assembling the Salad

• This salad can be prepped ahead of time. Make the dressing and refrigerate up to 5 days. Cooked bacon can keep in the fridge in a sealed container (reheat before adding to the salad). Croutons will keep in a sealed container on the counter up to 2 days.
• To assemble, add the lettuce to a large bowl or platter then top with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with dressing just before eating.