The Best Summer Chopped BLT Salad
Are you craving a delicious BLT salad? Toss together some fresh chopped greens, juicy tomatoes, and crisp bacon, but make it extra summery with grilled corn and avocado. Then, coat all of those flavors and textures with homemade blue cheese vinaigrette dressing.
There is no better bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad recipe than this one. I promise!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s light but very satisfying for a summer meal.
- It’s fast and easy to make. It’s on the table in less than 30 minutes.
- It makes the most of fresh summer vegetables (but it tastes great the rest of the year, too!).
Recipe Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make this BLT salad. I’ve listed a few substitutions and variations in the section below.
Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with measurements.
Bacon. Choose lean, center-cut bacon and trim off as much fat as possible. Note that all bacon, even turkey or nitrate-free bacon, is still processed meat high and in saturated fat. That said, we’re only using a few slices, and they’re going in a salad so it all evens out.
Lettuce. I love baby red leaf lettuce because it’s tender and soft, but any lettuce works in this recipe.
Tomatoes. Cherry or grape tomatoes are great. However, if you have vine-ripe tomatoes from the farmers’ market or your garden, definitely use them!
Corn. Sweet corn on the cob is a key ingredient that sets this salad apart. Don’t skip it!
Blue cheese. I ALWAYS top this salad with my homemade blue cheese vinaigrette dressing because it compliments the tomatoes and bacon so well. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese or want a dairy-free option, check the next section for substitutions.
Substitutions and Variations
- Other dressing options include ranch, or for a dairy-free option, mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil with about five garlic cloves from a head of air fryer roasted garlic.
- If you like radicchio, add a chopped handful for a peppery bite.
- Instead of a chopped BLT, make a layered BLT salad with larger pieces of the ingredients laid out in rows. Set it on a platter and let everyone take the parts they like best.
- Make this salad heartier by adding some cooked shell or ditalini pasta.
- Turn this into a Cobb/BLT salad with some grilled chicken and chopped hard-boiled egg.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Prep your ingredients. Slice the tomatoes, cook and crumble the bacon, and grill the corn.
2. Make the dressing. Combine the blue cheese, oil, vinegar, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bullet blender and blend for about 10 seconds.
3. Cut the corn off the cob. Cut down from the top of the cob to the bottom to remove the kernels.
4. Combine your salad ingredients. Reserve the avocado for last. Toss the ingredients with the dressing and add the cubed avocado to the top.
Expert Tips!
For extra-crisp lettuce, rinse the leaves in cold water and lay them on a paper towel. Gently roll the paper towel up with the lettuce leaves inside. Store this in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the salad.
When cutting the kernels from the corn cob, cut deeply into the cob so you get some large sections of corn. They always taste sweeter and crunchier.
This salad tastes best when served immediately. The contrast of the warm bacon and corn with the cold lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado is delicious. If you make it in advance, you won’t get that contrast, and the ingredients will wilt.
Make extra blue cheese vinaigrette dressing and store it in a jar in the refrigerator for another salad or to pour over fresh tomato slices. It will keep for about three days.
What to Eat with a BLT Salad
Serve this tasty salad with:
- Fruited iced tea
- Sweet potato cornbread topped with hot honey butter or black olive and sundried tomato focaccia bread
- Grilled salmon or chicken
- Raspberry oatmeal bars for dessert
Related Summer Salads
If you love a tasty salad for dinner, try these other salad recipes.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page. Your email will not appear publicly!
Summer Chopped BLT Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn
- 4 cups red leaf lettuce trimmed and chopped
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 3 slices lean bacon trimmed of fat, cooked crisp and drained well
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 1 medium avocado cut into cubes
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
- 1 ounce blue cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Remove the corn husks and grill the corn on a hot grill for about four minutes. Rotate it once or twice and cook for another four minutes or until the corn is lightly charred in spots and starts to pop. Remove it from the grill and let it cool.
- Cut the tomatoes in half. Drain the bacon well and crumble it.
- Prepare the dressing by combining the blue cheese, olive oil, white wine vinegar, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a bullet blender. Blend for about 10 seconds or until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add water, one tablespoon at a time to thin.
- Cut the corn from the cob by holding the cob upright with one end resting on the cutting board.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, corn, and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle the dressing over and toss lightly to combine the ingredients. Top with avocado cubes.
- Serve immediately.
I love this combo. Pinned. Thanks.
So glad you like it! This is one of my favorite go-to salads all summer long and especially when fresh corn on the cob is available. I LOVE it with a blue cheese vinaigrette dressing 🙂
This looks amazing Anne! Please count me in- and that container- so awesome!! I need to get my hands on one!
Thanks Liz!! I love this line of containers. It’s so nice to have some that are customizable (and have lids 🙂 )