5 Ingredient BLT Salad (Breadless!)

Inspired by maybe the most popular summertime sandwich, the 5 Ingredient BLT Salad has bacon, lettuce, tomato and a delicious sour cream and mayo creamy dressing. This is a perfect main dish for lunch or a side dish for any other meal  – a BLT Sandwich in salad form!

Living in the South, a bacon tomato sandwich in the summertime is my favorite sandwich. If I have fresh tomatoes from the garden, it’s one of the best things ever.

White bread with mayo, topped with slices of fresh tomato, crispy fried bacon, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and mmmmm. Best. Ever.

And a BLT is just a fancier sandwich because of the lettuce in a bacon lettuce tomato sandwich.

Did you get that? Just in case you’ve been living under a rock… BLT = bacon lettuce tomato.

Anyway, since I love salads, I thought I’d share a Breadless BLT Salad. You get all the flavors of the classic sandwich but in a cool, refreshing hearty salad. A BLT without bread, if you will. 

Video

BLT Salad Recipe

For this bacon salad recipe, I’m keeping things really simple. Iceberg lettuce, fresh juicy tomatoes, crispy bacon fried up and chopped, plus a mix of mayo and sour cream for the dressing. This BLT Chopped Salad will hit the spot every time.

Love these flavors? I also have a family favorite Bacon & Tomato Ranch Pasta Salad here. We eat this several times a year and take it to church potlucks often. Every time I do – someone asks for the recipe!!

Why You’ll Love 5 Ingredient BLT Salad

• It’s in the title – ONLY 5 ingredients! So simple and delicious!
• Keto-Friendly
• Filling enough to count for lunch!
• Easy to put together.

​​Tools Needed

• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Paper towels

Ingredients

These simple ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store – big or small. 

Iceberg Lettuce – I mentioned before that I keep things simple. In my opinion, the best lettuce for BLT Salad is Iceberg Lettuce. But you could certainly use romaine lettuce or butter lettuce if you wish. You could even get really fancy and use one of those mixed salads or all spinach if you want. But it won’t quite be the same.

Tomatoes – First, make sure you’re using ripe tomatoes. I like big juicy fresh garden tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces. A Better Boy or Heirloom variety are our favorites. But you could certainly use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if that’s what you love. I only suggest that you get really fresh, bright tomatoes – from your own garden or a local farmer’s market.

Bacon – Since this salad is breadless (ie., no croutons), the bacon is the star of this salad. Crispy, salty bacon is a must. Please don’t use store-bought bacon bits. I like to use a whole pound of thick-cut bacon for the most flavor and crunch. And you shouldn’t have any leftover bacon – there’s no such thing as too much bacon. Use it all!

Sour Cream – nothing special here, full-fat sour cream. I guess you could use low-fat but why?

Mayonaise – as with the sour cream, I prefer the real deal here. Full-fat real mayo. 

Salt + Black Pepper – salt and fresh ground or regular old black pepper from the shakers on your table are great here. Keep it simple.

Substitutions

Mayonaise. I can’t believe these words are coming out of my fingers, but here goes. If you must, you can substitute Miracle Whip for the mayonnaise. We don’t even allow Miracle Whip in our house but you do you.

BLT Salad Dressing. If you like, you can skip the BLT Salad Dressing (aka mayo/sour cream combo) and go with a traditional salad dressing. This will be less like a classic BLT Sandwich but that’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. If you’re going to change it up, I’d recommend a homemade ranch dressing or buttermilk dressing.

Bacon. ​As previously stated, I do not recommend the store-bought bacon bits – they’re not crispy at all. But you could use turkey bacon instead and cook it up really crispy.

How to Make BLT Salad

I hesitate to even call this a recipe – it’s so, so easy to put together.

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s crispy and golden brown. Drain it on a paper towel-lined plate. Be sure to cook it until it’s nice and crispy – no floppy bacon for this BLT Salad.
2. Dice up your fresh lettuce and tomatoes.
3. Add all your ingredients to a large bowl.
4.  Mix until well combined. 
5. Serve with salad tongs or a slotted spoon right away and enjoy! 

Pro Tips

• Use fresh veggies – the fresher the better for the best flavor!
• Bake the bacon – If frying bacon is not your thing, you can bake the bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet. Here’s how: spread the bacon out in a single layer, then bake at 400°F for 16-20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.

Variations and Mixins

I sincerely feel like any of these mixins will void calling this salad a BLT Salad (because it’s no longer just the ingredients for a traditional BLT Sandwich) but I’m going to list them anyway – just in case you need ideas to add more flavors to this delicious salad. Here are some great options:

• Red Onion – sliced really thin
• Cheddar Cheese – freshly shredded is best
• Croutons – even better if they’re homemade croutons (although the salad will no longer be breadless if you add them)
• Rotisserie Chicken – if you need more protein, this is a great addition!

More Delicious Salad Recipes

• Red White and Blue Fruit Salad
• Creamy Crab Pasta Salad
• German Cucumber Salad
• Hawaiian Rice Salad
• Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad (only 4 steps!)
• Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Homemade Sweet & Sour Dressing
• Strawberry Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
• Best Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe

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