The Best BLT Salad with Homemade Lemon Mayo Salad Dressing

A BLT salad loaded with fresh lettuce, crispy bacon, bright tomatoes, crunchy croutons and homemade lemon mayo salad dressing is exceptional. This is the best simple & easy salad! Enjoy it as a delicious lunch or a hearty side dish.

5 from 28 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 16

Total Time 26

Course Main Course, Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine American

Servings entrée salads (see notes below)

Calories 827 kcal

Equipment

Salad-berry spinner

Ingredients

For the BLT salad

3 cups butter lettuce leaves
4 cups romaine lettuce
8 slices bacon
4 slices rye bread cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cups grape tomatoes cut in half

For the lemon mayo salad dressing

⅓ cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 pinch black pepper

Instructions

For the salad dressing

Prepare dressing as soon as possible so that flavors can blend in the refrigerator.
Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the BLT salad

Cook the bacon until evenly brown on both sides, about 12 minutes total in a frying pan or 14-15 minutes at 400ºF in the oven. For either method, flip halfway through. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease for the croutons.
Chop cooked bacon, add to a small bowl, and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in a large skillet (can be the same one you used for the bacon, if you cooked it on the stovetop) over medium heat. Add the chopped rye bread and cook for 3-4 minutes or until crispy on all sides. Season with salt and black pepper, then transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Slice grape tomatoes in half, add to a small bowl, and set aside.
Wash and dry salad greens using a salad spinner. Tear into bite-sized pieces and divide onto 2 large or 4 small plates or bowls. Divide bacon, croutons, and tomatoes evenly among the dishes.
Top salad with a few dollops of dressing just before serving.

Notes

Serving size: This salad, as written, makes enough for 2 large entree salads or 4 smaller side salads. The dressing makes about half of a cup which I think is enough for 2 large or 4 small salads. If you prefer your salads to be more saucy, double the dressing and adjust the nutritional details accordingly.

Dressing variations: This salad is also wonderful with homemade ranch, Chef Tim's sweet balsamic vinaigrette, or even blue cheese dressing.

Salad additions:

You can add a handful of any or all of the following for delicious variations on this BLT salad:

Sliced cucumbers
Sliced avocado
Chopped celery
Shredded carrots
Shredded cheddar cheese
Blue cheese crumbles
Cooked rotini pasta

What to do with leftovers: I simply cannot believe you will have leftovers, but if you insist that it's a possibility, here's how to store the salad and dressing:

Do not assemble the salad before storing. Keep the bacon, tomatoes, croutons, and lettuce separately in airtight bowls in the fridge. (The acidity of the tomatoes will wilt and sour the lettuce.)
The croutons will get soggy in the fridge. This is unavoidable unless you let the croutons sit out in a zippered plastic bag on the counter (which you maybe could do, but I prefer to err on the safe side and keep them in the fridge). To crisp them back up before serving a second time, toss them on a baking sheet in a 250º oven for 15 minutes.
Store dressing leftovers in an airtight jar (such as these mason jars) in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Nutrition

Keyword bacon, BLT, lettuce, tomato

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