B.L.T. Salad with Basil Mayo Dressing

Very yummy! I did use a full pound of extra thick bacon, and added a tablespoon or so of milk to the very thick dressing (light mayo worked great). One note about the croutons - the amounts listed for salt and pepper were very heavy even though I doubled the bread - start at about 1/3 of the amount listed and go from there. FYI, these are 4 VERY LARGE servings!! For typical side salad servings, it would be closer to 8-10. Such a great salad & it does taste just like a BLT. It even kept well in the fridge overnight, to my delight!

I have always used this recipe for the dressing itself and don't find it necessary to change a thing. The bacon drippings provide a nice, rich flavor. Use a light hand when dressing your greens, and because this is a heavier dressing, it works perfectly with the Romaine lettuce called for.

Yummy! I didn't have any fresh basil on hand but still turned out well and my advice to future cooks is to let the bread cool before tossing in salad or else it all turns mushy and not so appealing. Overall, very good and will make again!

OMG! What an incredible salad! The dressing was awesome and just about anything that contains bacon my husband is all over it. This was no exception. The only thing I added to take it over the top was some sliced avacado and swiss cheese - YUM!

Don't know about the reviewer who didn't like the Avocado - unless I read it wrong, Avocado isn't called for in this recipe. Anyway, I taste tested the dressing before and after adding the basil. Even though I'm a huge basil fan, I think I liked the dressing better without it. Since basil is not a traditional BLT ingredient, I'll omit it next time. Also, we usually don't have croutons on our salad, so I decided to add the salt, and pepper to the prepared dressing. The whole tsp of pepper was great, but the tsp of salt was too much in combination with the bacon, which is already fairly salty - I added more mayo and some milk to compensate. Next time I'll add the salt to taste. Please note my rating of 4 stars was not because of the revisions I made to this recipe, but because I thought the dressing, prepared as directed, tasted better without the basil.

Great! But use fat-free plain yoghurt instead of mayo for a healthier salad.

This was a wonderful salad to serve on a hot summer day.

Was the hit of a picnic. I am in England and the English love BLTs and they thought the salad was a very clever picnic idea! I just packed the croutons and dressing separately then mixed them all together once the picnic started.

This is a wonderful salad with something for everyone! I took it to a pot-luck last night and it was a huge hit. I used red and yellow tomato wedges, pepper bacon (oh yaaa), and added cubed avocado. I prepared the dressing in the blender, using a whole package of basil, it was cool, creamy, and delicious. Fabulous!

Good Salad, Kimber. However, the dressing was a little too pungent for us. Fortunately it was tasted before I dressed the salad. A teapoon of sugar and a little garlic powder helped out. Thanks for sharing!

Yummy! I didn't have any fresh basil on hand but still turned out well and my advice to future cooks is to let the bread cool before tossing in salad or else it all turns mushy and not so appealing. Overall, very good and will make again!

My sister-in-law was making this and had no fresh basil, so instead used pesto. I think it was such a hit with the improvisation, I will also make it that way. At a table of 7, the 5 star rating was unanimous.

Made this as directed with the exception of using the full amount of fresh basil-which I cut down. Used grape tomatoes and this turned out really well. Thanks for sharing.

Delicious! The croutons take quite awhile to brown, but are well worth the wait....they make the salad. Try cubing the bread with a pizza cutter to speed up preparation. Thanks for sharing. :)

This salad was great without reserving bacon drippings for the dressing (I used pre-cooked slices to save time and mess). Also, I have to say as a die-hard Miracle Whip fan, that nothing makes a salad like Miracle Whip...I figure that's why some of the 1-2 star reviews who used mayonnaise stated that the dressing was "too bland". Not with Miracle Whip! (Just so everyone knows, I don't work for the company). This salad really comes together with home-made croutons, so put it out of your mind that you're going to get the real BLT taste with store-bought. Not at all. Try this recipe and you'll agree that it tastes like an authentic BLT if you put an extra two minutes' effort into the croutons (I used regular texas bread because I didn't have the french stuff, by the way). Other than the miracle whip and the pre-cooked bacon and the texas bread, the only substitution I made was balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. MMMMM. Smooth, flavourful, tangy dressing, and my boyfriend agreed. I will definately make this again...perhaps not for a crowd, because the romaine does wilt fast, but I'm sure I can impress a couple of my friends in the near future this BBQ season. Go for it! It's easy! You won't be disappointed. Thanks for the recipe.

Delicious! I used reduced calorie mayo and added a pinch of salt and pepper to the dressing to tone down the tanginess just a bit. The dressing is a bit thick but if you toss it all together in a large bowl before serving it gets distributed fairly evenly. Very refreshing and tasted just like a BLT! Thanks Kimber!

I've made this numerous times per my family's request. The first time I made it exactly as written and it was good. To adjust for our tastes I double the dressing and instead of making "homemade" croutons, I just add a half a package of Texas Toast herb croutons. Comes out wonderfully! It seems strange to add the bacon drippings to the mayo but that is the key to the whole dressing. I have also made with fresh basil as well as with dried. This is #1 in my cold salad rotation!

This salad tasted really good...however, don't add the dressing until right before you eat it. Otherwise it becomes too soggy. I loved the salad dressing though...unlike anything I have ever tasted.

This salad was definitely different. I think next time I'll make the dressing a few hours ahead of time so it has time to incorporate the flavor of the basil. I added finely chopped pieces to the salad so we could taste it more. I also added avocados per other reviews and then also added sunflower seeds and shredded mozzarella cheese. I will be making this again!

For the record my husband really didn't like this. I thought it was great, although I will try with regular vinegar as I found the red wine vinegar to be overpowering. Time saver tip: While you are making the salad, bake the croutons in the oven at 350 toss in a bowl with oil and spices before baking, this will safe atleast 5-10 minutes. I added chicken which was great.

A great salad and a real "keeper" recipe! I didn't find that 15 minutes prep time seemed excessive. The use of 2 skillets and a bowl didn't seem to make the kitchen messy enough for more than minimum clean-up time.

Great Salad! The fresh basil in the dressing gives the salad a great taste. Someone commented that the dressing was too thick, so I thinned mine with about 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. It was very good, but next time I think I will leave as is. Try topping salad with sliced grilled chicken and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese for a meal!!

The dressing is very good, but you can only eat one forkful, otherwise you will die from the mayo and bacon grease used for the dressing. Its a once a year recipe.

Took this salad to a picnic... everyone raved about it!! The only 2 things I modified were (1)balsamic vinegar for the red wine vinegar (the only thing on hand, but gave it a sweeter taste) and (2) fat free mayo for the regular mayo (tasted great and hey-- every little bit helps :)

This was great. The temperature was 111 degrees yesterday, and the salad was dinner for 3 of us, and we could not eat it all. I will add avocado the next time, and possibly reduce the amount of bacon.

Terrific salad, exceptional dressing. Go ahead and make the croutons--you won't be sorry. Try this dressing on a BLT sandwich or tortilla roll-up--fantastic!

I made this recipe at a cooking party with a few friends. We absolutely loved it. We all agreed that it tasted like a real BLT sandwich. I did add about 1 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp of salt to the dressing as I thought it was a little too tangy. I also agree with another reviewer that the lettuce does wilt very quickly. Thanks for the great recipe!

I have made this salad again and again since I found the posting years ago. My family LOVES it and people ALWAYS ask me for the recipe. Kimber's version is PERFECT as is!

I didn't have fresh basil so I used about a teaspoon and a half of dried. The bacon drippings in the dressing, MONEY. We fought over the leftovers. NOTE: I used olive oil mayonnaise and day old Dave's Killer Bread. I did not add but a pinch of salt.

I made this for our Easter dinner, doubled the recipe except for the fresh basil, left it at the 1/4 cup and used garden fresh cherry tomatoes. I did add a couple teaspoons of sugar to the dressing after test tasting it, seemed a bit too tangy for me, also a few dashes of garlic powder. Our guest loved this salad and there were no leftovers. However I would caution to wait until right before serving to mix the dressing into the salad. I mixed it up a couple hours ahead and kept it in the refrigerator until serving and felt the romaine was soggy. It wasn't too hard to toss it up, so in the future I'll toss in the dressing right before serving.

A good salad. I served it as an entree with my homemade breadsticks and the sour cream apple pie listed on allrecipes top ten favorites. The only change I made was to add some salt to the dressing. Also, next time I will stick with my own crouton recipe. Instead of first mixing the bread and spices and then pouring olive oil over it, I have found it is more effective to heat the olive oil in a pan until it starts smoking. Quickly add the bread cubes and stir until they are covered evenly. Then add salt, italian season, and pepper is desired. Much more tasty!

This was very good...the dressing was FANTASTIC! If you aren't a fresh basil lover, you'll definately want to lower the amount you put in. I agree with others, the fresh croutons are a vital part of this salad. My husband said this should be a "regular" menu item at our house! Wonderful!

Have have tried this recipes two times and it was excellent both times. I really like the homemade croutons!! The only change I made was I added 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt. I thought it was way too tangy with just the mayo and red wine vinegar. Otherwise---great recipe!!

I like this salad because it is very easy to prepare and is a light dinner. The dressing needs work,I added milk and did not have basil and used pesto instead and it was great. Also added pepper and a little garlic. I used much less bacon 4 strips and after tossing salad with dressing added hard boiled eggs.Kids loved it!

Everyone loved it...I used store bought croutons instead of making them as the recipe suggests- it is a somewhat time consuming recipe to make-but well worth it! I would not put the croutons in until right before you're ready to serve--and this is one of those salads that cannot be "saved" for later or eaten later...the lettuce gets soggy along with the croutons. All that said, the salad tastes GREAT and I would make it again!!

this is one of the best salads I have ever had,,I made it for easter & there was none left !I added a little fresh chopped garlic to the dressing,& I did the bacon & the dressing the day before so I wouldnt have so much to do !!! WONDERFULL,,,thanx for sharing !

This is a wonderful salad! My entire dinner party loved it! I did add 1 pound of bacon to the salad and added garlic and onion powder to the croutons.

Thanks it was great.

Great recipe. I added shredded mozzerella cheese and sliced avacado. In the dressing, I also reduced the amount of vinegar by about half and added garlic powder and sugar as suggested in another rating. I also used a spring mixture of lettuce...very pretty.

Very yummy! I took this to a family reunion and everyone was impressed. I thought the dressing needed to be toned down so I added more mayo and bacon drippings. I also added milk to make the dressing thinner.

Ths was actually a pretty good salad, but it seemed like a lot of work for what you get out of it. The dressing was a bit bland -- i think it has potential, but I'd have to work on it.

This was soooooo good! Thank you, Kimber! We will eat this a lot! There is no way I would give this anything less because it was a "messy cleanup". I agree the use of 2 skillets is not keeping me away from making this again and again. We used thick sliced bacon from the butcher...The homemade croutons were a plus! :)

fabulous recipe, everyone loved the dressing plus the easy to make croutons!! i'll definately make this one frequently

I have brought this salad to picnics, pot lucks at work and barbecues at home and it is outrageously delish! I too, add more bacon, more like 2/3 of a pound and also use a bit more lettuce. So good, thanks for posting!

This is a superb salad with excellent choice of ingredients, and great flavored dressing

What a great salad! I served mine along with grilled cheeseburgers, and one of my guests suggested putting the salad right on the burger...delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.

This salad was sooooo good even my husban loved it. I used white balsamic vinegar instead because that what I had. can not say enough about this salad it tasted just like the sandwich. will make over and over

I used low fat Mayo, and seeing I didn't have Basil, I used Pesto. I also used 'veggie' bacon...WAY less fat! I'll admit...I didn't make my own croutons, but even so it was SO yummy!!!! I also added a bit of mozarella cheese! This WILL be made a LOT at our house! It was our main meal, and totally filled me up! It makes lots of dressing though, so if there is only 2 of you, scale down!

This salad is delicious! The taste is very close to a BLT. I think it would be great even without the basil if you don't have any around. My husband raved. The homemade croutons are crutial, although I think I'll use a little less salt and pepper next time.

the bread croutons in this recipe can be oven baked instead of frying with great results. Simply spray them with an olive oil spray(there are garic flavoured ones on the market)and bake in a moderate oven until golden brown. Otherwise a great recipe

Excellent salad - wouldn't alter a thing! Have made this twice, once for company who loved it and promptly made it for themselves the next week. Can't go wrong with this one.

Absolutely great! The dressing is fantastic. We had this as a main dish and it was perfect.

Gave this one 4 stars because of the prep time and clean-up factor. I say take the time to make the croutons. Totally worth it. The 'homemade' croutons and fresh basil makes the salad great!

Using what you have on hand is great! I didn't have fresh basil, so I used dry italian herbs. I didn't use the oil either (tried to keep it lite/low fat). I wish that I would have had buttermilk, but instead added about 2T of sour cream and maybe 4T of milk. I also added about 2tsp of lemon juice, minced garlic, and some fresh ground black pepper. WONDERFUL! I would suggest using lean turkey bacon too. Good recipe

the idea of this recipe is good, but I found the dressing to be disappointing. I would omit the bacon grease next time. Maybe add a little garlic.

Yummy!! Both me and my husband had second helpings! Very good if you like BLT's. I did find it fairly time consuming to assemble and my kitchen was a mess afterwards! :) However, I plan on making this again.

This salad is THE BEST! I have made it twice now, the first time I added grilled chicken to make it a meal and the second time I made it just as the recipe said (except I did add 1 tsp. of sugar to the dressing) and took it to a barbeque. Both times it went over BIG. In fact I'm making it again tonight for a family gathering. This is the kind of salad that appeals to men as well as women, I have no hesitation recommending this recipe!

Very good. I made this for dinner last night and my husband love it. I will make this again. Thank you.

This would be great if prepared without the basil. That ruined it in my opinion.

2.24.12... https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/24544/blt-salad-with-basil-mayo-dressing/ ... I LOVE THIS! I did some changes, but will add those once I find 'em. 'Can't believe I hadn't added this to my box or reviewed it till now! Kimber's recipe for alfredo is fab, too. I adjusted it a little, too & YUHM! ... 7/2018 Kimber, congrats on your getting a video for your delicious recipe!

This is a delicious salad. I made a few changes. I added avocado, used a regular tomato cut in thin slices and quartered. I also used turkey bacon and did not use the drippings in the dressing. You don't need very much dressing so I used about 1/2 the may and upped the basil a bit. Thanks for a great recipe!!!

I know everyone else seemed to love this recipe, but I found the dressing to be way too "tangy" and sour. I won't be making this again.

Very suprised by this, it was so yummy! Was made for a potluck at work and there were no left overs and had many compliments.

A great summer-time main dish salad.

Delicious!! Wonderful as a main dish or a side salad. The basil mayo dressing topped it off great. I did use Miracle Whip instead of mayo and it turned out fine.

We love this recipe! I make the dressing often and use it on other salads. Very good!!

I made this the other day for something different for my boyfriend and me (both salad lovers). WOW! This is just soo amazingly good. The only thing I did different was I made my own mayo (as I always do for a dressing). And, yes, this is best eaten right after it is made because it does wilt fast. Am going to try adding some marinated grilled flank steak (thinly sliced) and eat it as a main course. I already know it's going to be good. Thank you for the great recipe!

I used vegetarian bacon and I loved it. There were no drippings for the dressing so I just chopped the non bacon up and add it in. Good and Easy. My meat eating boyfriend loves this salad.

I have made this twice as a side dish for formal dinner parties and everyone loved it! Several reviewers used store bought croutons, but my guests commented that the homemade croutons made the dish extra special, and they are very easy. You can save lots of time by buying bagged lettuce, and low-fat mayo works OK, too. This works much better tossed with the dressing before serving, rather than putting dressing on individual portions. Be sure to toss well, and you will have plenty of dressing.

I'm not a big fan of basil. So I made the dressing without it. Loved the taste of the dresssing.

This was very easily quadrupled for a large family gathering. Everyone raved about it and were fighting to get seconds and thirds! I gave it a slight variation.... as my brother put it, "Good call on the grape tomatoes!"

Loved this recipe. I made it just as is. Thank you!

I was actually looking for a way to spice up a regular BLT, so I just made the sauce to use as a spread on my sandwich. It was fantastic! I liked how tangy the red wine vinegar made the sauce. The only change I made was that I didn't have fresh basil, so I put about 1 T dry, and it was perfect.

Awesome salad components, but I did not care for the dressing. I was really looking forward to it, but I was so thick and just tasted like mayonnaise so I used a Dijon vinaigrette instead and it was amazing

AWESOME! PUT IT ON A PIZZA CRUST FOR "CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN" TYPE PIZZA..COMES CLOSE TO THEIR BLT PIZZA

This was great! Very easy and flavorful. Croutons were simple to make. The scale of this recipe says serves 4 and I guess that could be true if you want it as a meal, but if you want a side dish, I'd scale it back.

Awesome Recipe... I didn't change a thing. If you have a magic bullet, it works great to make the dressing. Wanted to take leftovers for lunch the next day and it was as expected not as lively, so I thew it in a tortilla and it was amazing! Thanks!

This recipe is awesome! I am on a low-carb diet so I didn't add the croutons. Although I will say that if I ever do add croutons, I will probably just buy some instead of making them myself. We added a little more bacon and cucumber slices that were quartered. At first it didn't look like enough dressing, but it was the perfect amount. I will probably make this recipe once a week.

Delicious! I baked my croutons instead of frying them, added avocado to the salad and used just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves (about 5-6 tablespoons). Thanks for a great recipe.

This salad was a huge hit with my husband and I. I used grape tomatoes instead of the suggested cherry tomatoes and found this to be a delicious variation on a fabulous recipe.

I enjoyed this recipe. Although I probably won't make it for company(wilts fast) I will make it again for my family - especially on a hot summer day. The croutons are something I will incorporate in more of my salads.

YUM! This got rave reviews at my house! I have to admit I did not make the croutons, I am too lazy. I almost doubled the bacon and I used chopped tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. I added avacado both times becouse I love it and someone else suggested it, it adds a yummy flavor. I also added some garlic and lemon to the mayo and used white wine vinegar. I have made this salad twice and both times it turned out great. **If you have more of the dressing left over, it makes an awesome replacement for regular mayo on a turkey, roastbeef, or chicken sandwich. Add in some tomato, lettuce and avacado...delish!

Good, but a bit salty.

I had to improvise since fresh basil wasn't available to me in this little town, but man, what a great salad! Thanks for sharing!

Love, love, love this salad! Instead of red wine vinegar, I used balsamic, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. The caloric/fat content is a bit scary for a salad... but definitely worth the splurge. Thanks!

Wow! This recipe is definitely a keeper. I served it for the first time last night with dinner with our friends. It was so good they had 3 or more salad bowls of it and wanted to skip dinner and just have the salad. It's that good! Don't miss this one. The recipe says it serves 4 but I'm sure it's a typo. 8 is more accurate. Thanks, Kimber

Good recipe. I would recommend using more bacon and less french bread. The croutons seemed to dominate the salad, and there didn't seem to be enough bacon to compete with the other ingredients.

my husband raved about this! even took the leftovers for work the next day, and he's not normally a salad type of guy for lunch. The kids ate it too, and really enjoyed the crutons. I thought the dressing was only OK, but everyone else seemed to really like it.

We loved this recipe and will be making it again and again. The quick, creamy, tangy dressing and easy croutons made this recipe wonderful! We used about 3/4 pound of bacon for added crunchiness. Most of the recipe can be quickly made, but the bacon takes the longest.

The dressing takes over in this salad. It was too much. Next time I would go lighter on the Mayo.

This salad was excellent! The homemade croutons really are worth the effort. And the dressing was outstanding - we will definitely be making this again!

I thought this was pretty good but next time I will cut back a little bit with the red wine vinegar. Thanks for sharing this!

I found that it smelled really tangy, and was a little skeptical about serving it without tasting it first, but it was great!! No changes here!

It was good, but not great.

I made this the first time for company. Because of the high fat content, I won't make this on a regular basis. But for company, a must!! Everyone raved about it. The whole salad disappeared before my eyes and I only got one small helping. I used a whole pound of bacon and made extra croutons.

This is YUMMY! Quick and easy, it's one of my faves. I often just throw a big plate of this together just for myself.

Loved this salad. I will be using it often. The homeade croutons really add something special. I used BF reduced fat mayo to cut the fat some and it was great. I highly recommend it.

This is my favorite salad recipe on this site! The homemade croutons are amazing. I don't mix them in the salad because they get a little too mushy for my taste. I just put them in a bowl next to the salad and let everyone add their croutons to the top. I also end up using more bacon because it's just so good!

I've made this wonderful salad many times, both with fresh basil and pesto. Everybody loves it, even those who aren't that fond of other salads. I always use extra bacon. Give it a try!!