The Ultimate BLT 2 Ways

Recipe and photography provided by Heinen’s partner, Chef Billy Parisi. 

If you are looking to twist up an old classic, then you will love this take on a classic BLT as well as a fun, lighter recipe for a turkey bacon BLT.

A BLT is a great weeknight option for crazy busy days where you still want to get something delicious on the table for the family. No matter what is being made, if there’s bacon involved, it is a sure-fire winner that’s guaranteed to be enjoyed by all.

With all this being said, it’s also nice to spice up some simple recipes. I love putting my twist on classic dishes to personalize them for my family. This also gives me the opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and have some fun, because trust me, I know how mundane doing the same thing over and over in the kitchen can be.

Regardless of if I use turkey bacon, duck bacon (yes Heinen’s carries it and it’s amazing), or classic pork bacon, the best way to prepare it is baked in the oven on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. It allows the bacon to caramelize in nice long strips and it’s just a cleaner way to do it. Once you do it like this, there is no going back.

For the turkey bacon BLT, I gave it a California twist by adding in some fun ingredients and flavors that traditionally go with turkey. While traditional mayo is used in a BLT, I spiked it with some finely-minced chipotle peppers, a little sugar and red wine vinegar to offset some of the heat. I served it up on some toasted sprouted sourdough with avocado, red leaf lettuce, sprouts and Roma tomatoes.

Tomatoes definitely peak in the summertime, but you can usually find good Roma tomatoes all year round, so don’t let this recipe scare you if you are making it in the fall and winter.

For my pork bacon BLT, I wanted to bring a cool southern twist to the mix. I first used thick-sliced Texas toast, which is amazing and makes really awesome French toast as well. I also thought it would be cool to make some fried green tomatoes, especially since you can get these all year round.

If you’ve never made fried green tomatoes before, it’s really the same exact process as breading chicken. Flour, eggs, breading, and in this case the breading is cornmeal. Once you’ve breaded your sliced green tomatoes, you fry them in some oil until they brown. It’s as simple as that!

When making any meal, I always try to think of balancing my flavors and what goes well together. I was able to figure out some of this with the mayonnaise I made to go with this BLT. I added in basil because I know it goes well with tomatoes, and then I added in pepper because that goes great with the bacon. Combining all of those flavors in one single bite makes for an incredible BLT.

Have some fun and change up your next meal with these fun twists on the classic BLT recipe.

Turkey BLT

Makes 8 total BLT’s

Ingredients

• 1-pound turkey bacon
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 8 slices of toasted sprouted sourdough bread
• 4 leaves of red leaf lettuce
• 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup of sprouts
• 1 peeled, seeded and thinly sliced avocado
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedures

1. Evenly place the turkey bacon slices on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 400°F for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly crispy. Remove and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until combined and set aside.
3. To plate the turkey bacon BLT, place one piece of toasted sprouted sourdough down and evenly layer on the leaf lettuce, bacon, sprouts, avocado slices and tomatoes. Spread a layer of the chipotle mayo on the other slice of toast and place on top. Repeat the process until all of the ingredients have been used.

Thick-Cut Pork Bacon BLT

Makes 8 total BLT’s

Ingredients

• 1-pound thick-cut bacon
• 8 slices of toasted Texas toast
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 peeled thick-sliced yellow onion
• ½ cup of mayonnaise
• ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 2 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 3 whisk eggs
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 thickly-sliced large green tomatoes
• 4 leaves of butter leaf lettuce
• Salt to taste

Procedures

1. Place the thick-cut bacon slices on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven at 425°F for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy and browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Add some butter to a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions until browned and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, parmesan cheese, basil, salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper until combined and set aside.
4. Add some flour to a medium-size bowl, the whisk eggs to a separate medium-size bowl, and the cornmeal to another medium-size bowl. Season each with salt and pepper.
5. Dredge a tomato slice in the flour, then the egg and finally the cornmeal. Set aside and repeat until all of the tomatoes have been breaded.
6. Pour some cooking oil into a large frying pan over medium heat and heat until it reaches about 350°F.
7. Add the breaded tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until browned on each side. Set aside.
8. To plate up the BLT, place one piece of toasted Texas toast down and evenly layer on the butter leaf lettuce, bacon, caramelized onion, fried green tomatoes. Spread a layer of the pepper basil mayo on the other slice of toast and place on top. Repeat the process until all of the ingredients have been used.

By Chef Billy Parisi

Chef Billy Parisi is a culinary school grad who spent 15 years in the restaurant industry as a line cook, sous chef and executive chef. Now he develops, photographs and films simple and delicious recipes that will make everyone feel like a chef in their own kitchen.