BLT Panzanella

Now that Travis is gone I have been slacking on making dinners, well lets just say it’s been easier to figure out what to make because the kids have to eat anything I put in front of them. So tonight was a super easy dinner night. I love BLT’s and this has all the ingredients of a BLT but with a homemade dressing. So good. I will be eating leftovers tomorrow for sure!

 

BLT Panzanella source: Annie Eats

Ingredients

For the salad:
1 small baguette * I used a loaf of french bread I made 2 the other day, one for french bread pizzas and one for this, more about the pizzas on another post.
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Kosher salt and pepper
6 oz. bacon
2-3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
1 heart of Romaine lettuce, rinsed, dried, and chopped (about 3-4 cups)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

For the dressing:
1 clove garlic, finely grated or minced
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp. low-fat Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
3 tbsp. buttermilk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  Remove the crust from the baguette and cut into cubes, about ¾- to 1-inches.  Combine the cubed bread in a bowl with the melted butter and toss to coat evenly.  Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake about 6 minutes, tossing once or twice during baking, until the bread cubes are golden brown and somewhat crisp.  Set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium-high and cook the bacon until crisp but not burned.  Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool.

In a large salad bowl, combine the toasted bread cubes, tomatoes, lettuce, and Parmesan.  Crumble the cooked bacon over the top.  Toss gently to combine.  In a jar or small lidded container, combine the garlic, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, and buttermilk.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Portion the salad into serving bowls and drizzle each serving very lightly with the dressing.