All BLTs are not created equal! I’m about to reveal the anatomy of the perfect BLT sandwiches, focusing on each special ingredient that will make yours the best of the best. And if you would prefer a vegan BLT, my version is pretty incredible, so stay tuned.

Teri's hands holding a blt

Ingredients: The Key to a Fabulous BLT

It’s all about curating your ingredients. Choose the perfect tomato of the season, beautiful slices of bread, vibrant, crispy lettuce and your favorite mayo. And there is nothing like crispy oven bacon. A freshly prepared BLT, when done right with high quality, thoughtfully selected ingredients, is sumptuous, delicious, and soul satisfying.

overhead shot of basil mayo
overhead ingredient shot for blt sandwich

Tomato Perfection: Choosing the Best for Your BLT

Let’s start with the tomatoes. There’s nothing better than an in-season beefsteak or heirloom tomato. You know how much I love and support farmers and growers. I especially enjoy talking to them about which tomato they recommend for the dish I’ll be serving. In the off-season, there is certainly nothing wrong with using the little year ‘round pear tomatoes. Either way, it starts with slicing and salting them, and you can even consider a small sprinkle of sugar to bring out the natural tomato flavor. Add a bit of cracked black pepper, too.

a bunch of different types of tomatoes on white background

These marinated tomatoes are a WOW and an absolute must for summer, perfect in this classic tomato sandwich. The beautiful tomatoes are so delicious in the garlic herb oil with shallots, basil, parsley, chive, and lemon zest. This sandwich creates the most amazing harmony of flavors.

Click here to get the recipe!

open faced blt on white background

Bread Choices: Toasted or Not, It’s All About Your Preference

The best bread is the bread you love. As a gluten-free eater, I love Canyon Bakehouse. Then, the question is to toast or not to toast. I prefer a light toasting for mine, to give it some crunchy resistance, but if you love amazingly fluffy bread, there’s no reason to toast it. Try it both ways and see which you prefer. If you use your favorite, you can’t go wrong, whether it’s country white bread, ciabatta, sourdough, or gluten-free.

The Best Techniques for Crispy, Oven-Baked Bacon

Load your sandwich with plenty of bacon. I adore Oven Bacon, made by placing strips of bacon on parchment paper or the oven rack with a tray underneath. But there are lots of ways to make bacon. I place mine in the oven for 18-20 minutes, and it’s foolproof. If you remove it well before making your sandwiches, simply put it back in the oven for a minute or two just before serving, to get the oil glistening.

A top-down view of a wooden cutting board displaying fresh BLT ingredients. Slices of crispy bacon lie on a baking tray to the left. The cutting board features slices of multigrain bread, heirloom tomatoes, basil leaves, and avocado slices. Next to the board, there are containers of cherry tomatoes, microgreens, and romaine lettuce. A bowl of salt and a bowl of cracked black pepper are also visible. A hand with red nail polish is spreading mayonnaise onto a slice of bread, ready to assemble the BLT.

Choosing the Perfect Spread for Your BLT

A gorgeous BLT is a mayo moment. Choose a delicious, classic mayo. (Is it Duke’s or is it Hellman’s? By the way, I’ve noticed that people love their own regional mayonnaise.) This is not the time to skimp, so spread a nice, thick coating of mayo onto each slice of bread.

overhead shot of different types of leafy greens

Elevate Your BLT with Romaine, Microgreens, and More Delicious Add-ins

For me, there’s nothing better on this sandwich than the classic romaine, but let’s not forget about microgreens, arugula, and basil. Roy loves his BLT with basil. After trying them all, I can honestly say that your sandwich will be every bit as divine with a microgreen.

For extras: imagine a fried or poached egg, sliced avocado, my Marinated Red Onions, and if tomatoes are out of season, an oven-dried tomato. You could also add giardiniera, sriracha, or garlic confit.

egg salad blt sandwich halves stacked on wooden board

If you’re looking for magnificence, I’m absolutely obsessed with this version of a BLT. It’s a keeper! The egg salad is incredibly creamy and full of flavor, while the oven bacon turns out perfectly every time. You’re going to adore it.

Click here to get the recipe!

open faced mushroom lettuce tomato sandwich on black cutting board

Vegan Delight: Creating a Satisfying Vegan BLT

I love bacon, but I’ve also developed a Vegan Bacon recipe that’s delicious and satisfying, whether you’re vegan or simply enjoy delicious food. The vegan version of a BLT is especially great with a trumpet mushroom sliced like thick-cut bacon and marinated. I use the marinade from my tofu sandwich. I throw all the mushrooms into a pan and sautè on medium high until both sides are brown, then add the marinade and cook them down until the sauce becomes thick and begins to evaporate. Once that happens, they’re done. We needed about three batches, or a little over a pound of mushrooms.

For your vegan BLT, I suggest making a basil mayo using vegan mayo blended with fresh basil in a food processor. Spread it on both sides of the bread, then add delicious tomatoes, greens, and your mushroom bacon.

A close-up of hands holding a freshly made vegan BLT sandwich. The sandwich is stacked with layers of crispy bread, tomato slices, microgreens, and mushroom bacon. The person is wearing a denim apron with a striped shirt underneath, and has red nail polish and a gold ring. The background is slightly blurred, focusing attention on the delicious sandwich.

Some Of Teri’s Favorite BLT Recipes!

Teri's hands holding blt lettuce wrap
BLT Lettuce Wrap
Winter BLT in Teri's hands
BLT Caprese Sandwich
BLT Salad
A Sensational BLT Sandwich For Fall
Fall Inspired BLT
Print
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Teri's hands holding a blt

Teri’s Favorite BLT Sandwiches

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  • Author: nocrumbsleft
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
Print Recipe

Description

I’m about to reveal the anatomy of the perfect BLT Sandwiches, focusing on each special ingredient that will make yours the best of the best.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  •   Best bacon you can find, we love smoked and thick-cut
  •   Lovely soft, fresh bread, such as country white sourdough, GF, or ciabatta
  •   Your favorite mayonnaise, regular or blended with beautiful herbs
  •    Ripe, juicy in-season tomatoes such as beefsteak or heirloom (or pear or cherry tomatoes in the off-season)
  •    Kosher salt Cracked black pepper
  •    Beautiful assortment of garden-fresh crispy romaine, arugula, micro greens or Roy’s favorite, fresh basil

Optional add-ons:

Instructions

Make the oven bacon:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the bacon flat on the sheet pan. Cook in the oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the bacon glistens and reaches your preferred crispiness. Set aside.

Prep your tomatoes:

  1. If using beautiful summer tomatoes, slice the tomatoes into thick slices, lay them on a plate then sprinkle with salt and a little sugar, if you’d like, to bring out the natural sweet and umami flavors. Sprinkle a dash of freshly cracked black pepper. If using cherry tomatoes, slice them in half and salt and pepper them on a plate.

Make the sandwich:

  1. If you have a soft, squishy homemade bread there’s no need to toast but if you’ve got sourdough or something crunchy, my recommendation is to lightly toast it. Slather a good amount of mayonnaise on both sides of the bread. (Don’t be shy, this is a mayo moment.)
  2. Layer a couple thick slices of tomato or the halved cherry tomatoes on one slice of bread then add some of the greens and lightly salt them. Add at least 4 slices of bacon (I like to load mine up), over the top. This is a bacon sandwich, after all!
  3. You can now customize the sandwich, to make it even more divine, with whatever ingredients you’d like or have on hand, such as marinated red onions, avocado slices, or pesto. Giardiniera or pepperoncini peppers will give a nice kick while a fried or poached egg would just take your BLT to the next level.
  4. Close the sandwich and enjoy the magnificence!
How To Make Teri’s Favorite BLT Sandwich Recipe