Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Ultimate BLT Sandwich Recipe
A good BLT makes a convincing case for leaving dinner alone once you've got the basics right. The juicy tomato is as important as the bacon, so give both a place in every bite.
- Prep
- 13 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 7 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Pork
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Sandwiches
A few quick notes
1. Cook the bacon in batches
Give the bacon room in the skillet so it can cook evenly and land in that chewy-crisp zone. Crowding the pan makes it harder to control, especially with thick cut slices.
2. Toast before you spread
Toasted bread gives the sandwich a firmer base for the mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon. It also helps the slices hold up once you press the sandwich gently at the end.
3. Season the tomatoes in the stack
The salt and pepper go right over the sliced tomatoes as you build the sandwich. That puts the seasoning where it does the most good, instead of getting lost in the lettuce or bacon.
Get to know the ingredients
Thick cut bacon
The bacon is cooked until chewy and crispy, not brittle. Thick cut bacon suits that perfectly because it can crisp at the edges while keeping a little bite in the middle.
Thick sandwich bread
Use the thick sandwich bread called for here. A BLT with thick tomato slices and four slices of bacon needs bread that feels sturdy after toasting.
Romaine lettuce
The romaine is thinly sliced, so it spreads through the sandwich instead of sitting as one large leaf. That gives you lettuce in more bites and makes the stack easier to press down.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Ultimate BLT Sandwich Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the top slice is on, press down gently. You’re not flattening the sandwich, just helping the mayonnaise, tomato, lettuce, and bacon settle together so it’s easier to pick up and eat.
A little more help as you go
Build each sandwich in order
Mayonnaise first, then tomatoes with salt and pepper, lettuce, and bacon. Keeping that order makes the seasoned tomato a clear layer instead of tucking it away where you won’t taste it as much.
Four slices of bacon per sandwich
Each sandwich gets four slices of bacon. Since the bacon cooks in batches, it’s worth keeping an eye on your count as you build so the sandwiches come out even.
A few questions you might have
Should the bacon be fully crispy?
Aim for both chewy and crispy. The recipe gives a range because thick cut bacon can take a little time, but it shouldn’t cook so far that it turns dry and shattery.
Do I season the mayonnaise or the tomatoes?
Season the tomatoes as you layer the sandwich. The mayonnaise is spread plain on the toast, and the salt and pepper go in with the sliced tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon.
Why is the lettuce sliced thinly?
Thinly sliced romaine is easier to spread across the sandwich and less likely to pull out in one piece when you take a bite. It fits the stacked style of this BLT.
Can I skip toasting the bread?
Use toasted sandwich bread to support the mayonnaise, thick tomato slices, lettuce and bacon once everything is stacked.
How firmly should I press the sandwich?
Just a gentle press after the second slice of toast goes on. It should settle the layers, not squeeze out the tomato or crush the toast.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
