Your taste buds will thank you in advance for following Spoon University and finding this article. Thanks to your wise decision, BLTs will never be the same again, or at least you will have trouble getting bored of them.
The foundation of every BLT should start with fresh cut lettuce, sweet tomatoes, smoky bacon, and freshly toasted bread.
As an upgrade to the foundational BLT, this extended recipe will unravel 7 drool-worthy ideas to take your BLT to the next level.
Of course no recipe is ever static, so feel free to mix and match the various upgrades according to your likings. Mixing up different types of breads or lettuces lead to more variety. Arugula also goes great with the addition of eggs. And wraps make for a great low-crumb, portable option.
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 5-10 minutes
Total Time: 10-20 minutes
Servings: One sandwich
Ingredients:
The Foundation (Your basic BLT)
Mayo
2 strips of bacon
Lettuce
1 tomato
2 slices of bread
Photo by Brandon Guild
Directions:
1. Wash and slice your tomato and lettuce.
Photo by Brandon Guild
2. Cook your bacon as desired.
Note: using the microwave is faster and also cleaner, but cooking with the pan is just as adequate.
Photo by Tiare Brown
3. Ready your ingredients. Toast your bread and apply mayo on the inside of each slice.
Photo by Brandon Guild
4. Build your BLT with tomatoes placed at the center to prevent the bread from getting soggy.
5. Slice and enjoy.
Photo by Annie Trimber
Upgrades to the Foundation
1. BLT with Horseradish Mayo
Photo by Brandon Guild
ADD: Freshly grated horseradish or prepared horseradish
Mix 1-2 teaspoons of freshly grated horseradish, or use 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, with 1 tablespoon of mayo.
Spread the horseradish mayo onto each slice of bread and build your BLT. Garnish with pickled beets if you want.
2. BLT with Hummus
Photo by Devon Carlson
ADD: Prepared or homemade hummus
Spread prepared or homemade hummus on each slice of bread, and then build your BLT.
3. BLT with Roasted Garlic Aioli
Photo by Nina Lincoff
ADD: Roasted garlic aioli
Mix 1 clove roasted garlic with 1 tablespoon mayo. Spread the garlic aioli on each slice of bread and build your BLT.
4. BLT with Egg (aka B.E.L.T.)
Photo by Tiare Brown
ADD: An egg
Cook an egg. Then layer the egg at the centre of the sandwich with the tomato and garnish your BLT this way.
Note: Frying the egg or microwaving it with bacon works as well.
5. BLT with Avocado
Photo by Tiare Brown
ADD: Avocado
Slice up a ripe avocado and layer it atop the tomato.
6. BLT with Tahini or Peanut Sauce
Photo by Maggie Gorman
ADD: Tahini or peanut sauce
Blend the following ingredients in a blender:
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
½ cup well-stirred tahini (Middle Eastern sesame paste) or peanut butter
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Spread the sauce on each slice of bread and build your BLT.
7. BLT with Sriracha Mayo
Photo by Kavya George
ADD: Sriracha hot sauce
Mix 1-2 teaspoon of Sriracha with one tablespoon of mayo.
Spread the Sriracha mayo on each slice of bread or tortilla and build your BLT.
Photo by Brandon Guild
Wish to taste more? Seconds are always available on Spoon University: