Salads with plain old iceberg lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and mass-produced dressing are boring. They’re the type of salad we always have at big family feasts and nobody touches. It just sits there idly while the pasta, meat and delicious sides get devoured. When dinner is over, I put plastic wrap over the salad, pop it in the fridge and tell myself I’ll eat it in the next day or two. Inevitably it’s tossed about four days later when it’s either wilted, smelly…or both. Who wants a salad like that?
A BLT salad is the exact opposite; the name speaks for itself! Bacon, lettuce and tomato salad with crunchy homemade croutons. Whip up a quick buttermilk dressing and this salad could easily be the star of the show. The dressing is great because buttermilk is low in fat and it’s tangy; a great compliment to the salad. I made this salad a few weeks back and most of it was eaten, there was one serving leftover. I ate that for lunch the next day. Nothing spoiled in my fridge!
Note: This is an excellent salad to bring to a picnic, party or potluck–very simple and yummy. But be sure to pack the ingredients separately then toss together right before serving. There’s nothing worse than soggy croutons!
Here's what you'll need. Forgot to picture the salt.
Start by cutting bread into cubes for the croutons
Toss with olive oil and pop in the oven with the bacon
Meanwhile, cut the romaine and halve your cherry tomatoes
Chop up some green onions-you'll need them for the dressing
To make your dressing start with 1/3 cup buttermilk
Add to that 3 tablespoons mayo
In goes the apple cider vinegar
And of course the green onions
Whisk Whisk Whisk
Then season with salt and pepper
Croutons look done. Our bacon was already done, we made extra from a previous dish
Toss everything together and serve. It'll be a hit…promise!
Ingredients
8 slices bacon
half baguette sliced into ¾ inch cubes; about 4 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 green onion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 pound romaine hearts, coarsely chopped (or other salad greens)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange bacon in a single layer on ½ of a rimmed baking sheet. On the other side of the baking sheet, add the bread cubes and toss with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing the bread cubes halfway through. The bacon should be crisp and the bread cubes toasted. Crumble the bacon into large pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayo, vinegar, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Add in lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and croutons; toss to coat with dressing. Serve immediately.
Source: Steamy Kitchen
