The Best BLT You’ll Ever Have
This Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich with Special Sauce is always a real treat. It’s made with the usual suspects but the addition of my “special sauce” brings it to the next level.
The special sauce is a tomato powder based spread with the tangy addition of lemon pepper that brings out the zing of the tomatoes and salty bacon. Now you know the secret, use it wisely.
The Special Sauce for the Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato
Tomato powder is a lesser known ingredient that is always a surprise to many people. I get my tomato powder from a brand called The Spice Way that sells on Amazon. There are also many other brands on Amazon available.
I do not work with any of these brands, this is just a brand I use in real life and love.
Do not confuse tomato powder with tomato bouillon, as that is a salt based seasoning. This tomato powder is ONLY dehydrated tomatoes.
The Bacon for the Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato
I usually cook my bacon in the oven. There are directions for my oven method in the full recipe below.
This particular time, I fried the bacon up in a skillet because I wanted to test out my new pan (I do not recommend this pan, so I will not provide information about it).
Whatever the method of cooking, a nice crisp bacon is perfect for this sandwich. Feel free to cook your bacon to your liking.
Season To Taste
As always, I provide measurements for my seasonings but remind you in the recipe to add a little and taste as you go.
Our tastes are all different so I encourage you all to taste and adjust to your preferences.
Personally I like the addition of the lemon pepper in this recipe. The tangy flavor of the lemon pepper gives a new layer of flavor to the tomatoes and the salty bacon. The taste, to me, is more elevated.
It will be especially delicious towards the end of the summer when we all have those fresh garden tomatoes on hand we’re looking to use up.
Be sure when you mix up your special sauce, to mark down the measurements you used so you have them for next time. Your bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with special sauce with be extra special, just for you.
Other Uses For Tomato Powder
Everyone always asks me about other uses for the tomato powder. I use it for anything that needs tomato paste.
Depending on the recipe, I mix it with a little water when I add it.
To other things, I just add it in. Specifically mayo based dressings and spreads or oil and vinegar based dressings.
One of my most popular recipes using this tomato powder is my Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad that was the viral hit of last Summer. Try it so you can have BLTs in every form.
You could throw an all BLT party!
Consider stirring a little into gravies and soup to add richness and flavor. To me, the acidity of the tomato powder is way lower compared to the tomato paste.
It is also a great powder to add to white rice.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of thick cut bacon
- 8 Butter Lettuce Leaves
- 3 Roma Tomatoes
- For The Special Sauce
- *measurements are approximate, taste and adjust to your preference
- 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon of tomato powder or 2 teaspoons of ketchup
- 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
- black pepper to taste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoons (or to taste) of dried chive
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- teeny tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- pinch of celery seed (optional)
Instructions
- To make the bacon, fry in a skillet until crispy and drain on paper towels. You can also make bacon in the oven by spreading the bacon on a foil lined baking pan. Make sure you use a pan with sides so the grease stays out of your oven. Place the bacon in the oven while the oven heats. This prevents splattering. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the bacon until your desired level of crispness. Remember the bacon will continue to cook for a few minutes when you take it out and it sits on the hot pan. My bacon in my gas oven takes about 20 minutes, in the electric oven it takes less time.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and let it drain on paper towels.
- Wash and dry your lettuce. Wash the tomatoes and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the special sauce. I dissolve the tomato powder in the vinegar first, then add it to the rest of the ingredients. If you are using ketchup, omit the vinegar. Where to buy the tomato powder is linked in the comments. It is my advice to add the seasonings a little at a time, taste and adjust. I like this sauce to sit in the fridge for a couple hours before using, but it can be used right away. The sauce will last about a week if you don’t use it all.
- To assemble your sandwiches, I use white bread, toast it, spread the special sauce on both sides, add the tomatoes to one side and the lettuce to the other and the bacon goes in the middle.
- This sandwich MUST be sliced on the diagonal .
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There is a full, printable recipe The Best BLT You’ll Ever Have
BLT is the simplest supper you can make.
