BLT for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
In an effort to get a meal on the table most evenings, we sometimes find ourselves resorting to breakfast for dinner. Who doesn’t love eggs and bacon for every meal? Or in this case a heavenly bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich oozing with warm basil pesto and bright yellow egg yolk.
All the usual dinner food groups are represented—protein and veggies, piled between crusty bread—so you can serve this seasonal sandwich to your family or guests without guilt of any kind. While any fresh, ripe tomato can replace the heirloom variety in the recipe, we suggest you gobble up as many heirlooms you can get your hands on while they are still in your gardens, or local farmers markets. You won’t be sorry.
The Very Best BLT Sandwich EVER.
Actually, here’s how to make the best anything ever—use the best ingredients! Some important upgrades, and a few extra ingredients make this the ultimate BLT recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Lettuce: while we love romaine lettuce—probably the most classic of BLT lettuce choices—spicy fresh arugula makes for a more exciting, less watery choice. For sandwich-making purposes, it’s just way better.
- Tomatoes: the “heirloom” part of heirloom tomatoes refers to the seed the tomato was grown from. Heirloom tomatoes are grown from seeds were favored by farmers for their deep, sweet flavors. Delicate, colorful and sweet, heirloom tomatoes are a summertime treat—the best of the best that tomato season has to offer.
- Bacon: applewood smoked bacon, to be exact. All you have to do is cook it to crispy perfection.
- Mayo AND homemade pesto: while mayo is the classic BLT condiment, we like to add a little homemade pesto to the mix, too. Since basil is in season right along with those heirloom tomatoes, it just made sense to add basil pesto our perfect BLT recipe
- Bread: the very best bread for BLTs is ciabatta, hands down. With its craggy crumb, ciabatta holds onto the mayonnaise and pesto that it is slathered with, and still has enough sponginess left over to absorb juicy tomatoes and a runny egg yolk, too.
- A fried egg: because fried eggs—with crispy edges and perfectly runny insides—make everything better.
How to Make a BLT:
Yeah, a BLT is a little more work than a PBJ. But we think it’s TWI*. Plus, this BLT recipe serves a crowd! Gather a group of your favorite friends, and celebrate tomato season together. Maybe they’ll even help you make the BLTs. Here’s how to make heirloom BLT magic:
- Fry your bacon! Fry it in a hot pan until it’s nice and crispy, and let it rest on a paper towel-lined plate while you do the rest of your BLT prep.
- Toast the ciabatta bread in the oven. Just until it’s warm and slightly crusty—we’re just going for a bit of warmth and texture.
- Spread the mayo and pesto on the warmed bread.
- Assemble! Layer bacon, arugula and sliced tomatoes onto the mayonnaise-and-pesto dressed bread.
- Fry your eggs!
- Slide an egg on top and close the sandwiches. Get some napkins—OK, a lot of napkins—and dig in.
(*totally worth it).
Tools You’ll Need:
- Baking sheet.
- Frying pan or cast-iron skillet.
- Butter knives.
- Spatula.
- A really good, sharp serrated knife is helpful.
In Praise of the Sandwich:
Sandwiches for dinner are always a hit, and so easy. Here are our five favorite sandwich recipes:
- Club Sandwich with Pesto Mayonnaise
- French Dip Sandwich
- Meatball Sub Sandwich
- Perfect Grilled Cheese
- Croque Madame
Breakfast for Dinner
Go ahead, take a little vacation from the normal dinner routine that requires you to stand over your stove stirring four different pots. Instead, put a runny-egg topped heirloom BLT on your plate and unwind. Snap a photo of your pesto BLT and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!