6 Amazing BLTs That Aren't Sandwiches (BLT Pasta Salad, Dip & More!)

BLT Pasta_012.tif

We’re coming up on tomato season, which means those vine-ripened orbs of summery goodness are about to start flooding the markets. I wait all year for that moment! One thing I love to eat in late summer but don’t even think about during the rest of the year is a BLT.

There’s just something about the combination of just-ripe tomatoes, salty bacon and cool, crisp lettuce (on toasted white bread with mayo, of course!). It’s absolute perfection. But a gal can eat only so many sandwiches. Here are some other delicious ways to enjoy the BLT trifecta.

BLT Pasta Salad (pictured above)

Two summertime classics — pasta salad and the BLT — come together to create a dish that’s packed with flavor. Fresh herbs like thyme and chives add freshness to the creamy dressing.

Sandra Lee’s cool, creamy four-ingredient dip is studded with sun-dried tomatoes and bacon bits. It’s cleverly presented inside a hollowed-out head of iceberg lettuce and served with pita wedges.

Food Network's BLT Pasta Skillet

Food Network's BLT Pasta Skillet

Photo by: Tara Donne ©FOOD NETWORK : 2012, Television Food Network, G.P.

Tara Donne, FOOD NETWORK : 2012, Television Food Network, G.P.

This lighter all-in-one dinner incorporates all the best parts of a BLT without adding all those extra calories. So go ahead and have a second helping.

Bacon, lettuce and tomato take a turn in a supporting role — bolstering the potatoes served alongside juicy marinated steak. In this BLT combo, the “L” stands for leeks instead of lettuce.

Food stylist: Jamie Kimm
Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

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Food stylist: Jamie Kimm Prop Stylist: Marina Malchin

In this summery side dish the bread, the bacon, the lettuce and even the mayo get stuffed inside a ripe tomato before being baked until tender. Try these alongside grilled meats, or paired with a salad for a light meal.

Food Stylist: Brett Kurzweil
Prop Stylist: Loren Simons

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Food Stylist: Brett Kurzweil Prop Stylist: Loren Simons

Photo by: Kang Kim

Kang Kim

Sunny Anderson’s hearty salad, featured in Food Network Magazine, is a meal in itself. Homemade croutons provide crunch while an easy four-ingredient dressing adds tang. She glazes her bacon with maple syrup too!

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