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Classic BLT Sandwich Recipe

How to make a classic BLT - bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. These are easy, fast and can be made healthier with turkey bacon, whole grain bread and light mayo - or just eaten as is!

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Is there anyone who doesn’t love to devour a delicious BLT? This Classic BLT Sandwich recipe is simple to make and packed full of flavour!

Classic BLT Sandwich in a white plate, some lettuce and a slice of tomato in background

It’s All About the Bacon

Although it’s simple to make, this Classic BLT Sandwich can end up being pretty sub-par if you don’t use the best ingredients. And the most important ingredient of all is the bacon. This isn’t the time for popping down to the local convenience store for some prepacked bacon. Convenience has its place, but this is not it.

For the perfect Classic BLT Sandwich, you’ll need to go to the butchers and pick up the thick cut of bacon with a nice wide strip of fat around the edges. If streaky is your thing, so be it, but I definitely believe that fatty is best in this case.

Once you have your bacon ready to go, the best way to make it is in the oven (stay away from that stove top!).

cooked bacon, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise in spoon

Classic BLT Sandwich Ingredients

  • Good-quality thick-sliced bacon: I prefer Kirkland, and a pound of bacon will do the trick.
  • Large beefsteak tomatoes: make sure they’re the best quality you can pick up!
  • Mayonnaise: Hellmans is my fave!
  • Your favorite bread
  • Butter leaf lettuce
BLT Sandwich ingredients - bread toast, strips of bacon, slices of tomatoes and lettuce leaf

How to Make the Perfect Classic BLT Sandwich

  • Preheat your oven to 375 °F to cook the bacon
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the bacon strips in a SINGLE layer.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
  • Lightly toast the bread slices. Slather each slice of bread with mayo to your liking.
  • To assemble the sandwiches, layer the tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce on four pieces of toast.
  • Salt and pepper to your liking. Top each sandwich with the remaining slices of bread.
BLT Sandwich with a layer of tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce on four pieces of toast.

Who Invented the BLT Sandwich?

The ingredients for the Classic BLT Sandwich have been around for years but there’s no mention of the “BLT” name before 1900. In fact, the earliest mention of it was in a 1903 cookbook called the “Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book” which featured a club sandwich made of lettuce, tomato, bacon, mayo, and turkey. But there is no clear consensus on when people started referring to the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich as a “BLT”.

In 1958, over 50 years after that first cookbook mention, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise started advertising their product as “traditional on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches”. So it’s possible that when servers were taking orders they abbreviated this to BLT to save time!

close up Classic BLT Sandwich in a white plate

How Many Calories in a BLT Sandwich?

The Classic BLT Sandwich has around 400-500 calories depending on the ingredients you use. For example, if you opt for a low carb, low-calorie bread and go easy on the mayo then it’ll be on the lower end. I personally like to throw on the mayo like there’s no tomorrow and I love a nice thick wheaten bread to go with it!

If you are looking for some more tasty Sandwich recipes, try these:

Red Pepper & Feta Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Four Ingredient Crock Pot Beef Dip Sandwiches

The Ultimate Clubhouse Sandwich

Bacon & Buffalo Chicken Tacos

We have already eaten these about 5 times this summer and there are more on the way. I love eating sandwiches and salads allllll summer long, thrown in with a little BBQ on the side. It’s a great way to use up summer tomatoes too!

Happy cooking!

Love,

Karlynn

Classic BLT Sandwich Recipe

How to make a classic BLT – bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. These are easy, fast and can be made healthier with turkey bacon, whole grain bread and light mayo – or just eaten as is!
close up Classic BLT Sandwich in a white plate
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Course
Dinner
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound good-quality thick sliced bacon (I use Kirkland brand)
  • 3 large beefsteak tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (we use Hellman's)
  • 8 slices of your favorite bread
  • 8 large leaves of butter leaf lettuce
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

To Cook the Bacon

  • Preheat your oven to 375 °F.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the bacon strips in a SINGLE layer on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 25-35 minutes, depending on its thickness. When the bacon is ready, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

To Assemble the Sandwiches

  • Toast all of the bread slices until lightly toasted. Slather each slice of bread with mayo to your liking ( I love a TON of mayo on mine!).
  • To assemble the sandwiches, layer the tomatoes, bacon, and lettuce on four pieces of toast.
  • Salt and pepper to your liking and then top each sandwich with the remaining slices of bread.
  • Slice the sandwiches in half or in triangles and serve.

Recipe Notes

You can also:
  • use sliced avocado
  • use turkey bacon
  • add a little lemon juice to the mayo to make it tart
 
Try using turkey bacon if you want to cut calories, and we usually use our favorite whole grain bread as it adds a great texture to the sandwich.

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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How to make a classic BLT - bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. These are easy, fast and can be made healthier with turkey bacon, whole grain bread and light mayo - or just eaten as is!

Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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