A classic summer salad that is great for barbecues, pot lucks, lunches and so much more. Make this easy Bacon Tomato Salad any day of the week and enjoy it all summer long!
Summer is in full swing and that means refreshing foods. The Best Summer Salads, Grilled Barbecue Chicken Skewers and the Caprice Salad Sticks are recipes you need to be making.
What’s This Salad Like
- Difficulty – This salad requires very few ingredients and is so EASY to make.
- Taste – A fantastic crisp summer salad that is great in warm weather. The dressing is creamy with a hint of lemon for freshness.
- Serving – This will serve four people as a side dish. If you are planning on just having the salad as a meal, I would recommend it for two servings. In the recipe card you can easily adjust the servings size.
Ingredients
- Lettuce – I used Romaine lettuce for this recipe. The leaves have both a crunch and there are softer darker green pieces as well.
- Tomatoes – Small cherry (grape) tomatoes worked perfect for this salad.
- Radishes – Radishes add freshness, crunch and a bit of flavour to the salad.
- Bacon – I cooked and crumbled bacon for this salad. You could use pre bought crumbled bacon.
- Croutons – Croutons add a great flavour and texture to fresh salads. You can make your own or purchase store bought croutons.
- Dressing – I made a delicious Greek yogurt dressing to serve with this salad. Don’t skip the dressing!
NOTE, The full recipe and instruction list can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Make dressing – Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Make the salad
- Combine salad ingredients – In a large salad bowl, add the romaine lettuce. Top with tomatoes, radishes, bacon and parmesan shavings. Toss really well. Add croutons.
- Add dressing and serve – Add dressing just before serving and lightly toss the salad. Serve immediately once the salad is dressed.
Recipe Tips
- Prep ahead – I made a homemade Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing for this salad. You can easily make this up to four days before hand and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge.
- Use fresh ingredients – Because this is a fresh summer salad, I recommend using very fresh and crisp vegetables. If your lettuce or tomatoes are soft, the salad won’t be as fresh or delicious!
- How to cook and crumble bacon – Lay bacon on a lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees f oven for about 10 – 12 minutes. Remove and pat with paper towels. Crumble apart and use in salads.
- Assemble before serving – Salads that use fresh ingredients are best assembled and tossed just before serving. the weight of the ingredients like tomatoes can lead to softening the lettuce too much.
Substitutions
- Lettuce – I used romaine lettuce for this recipe and I do strongly recommend crisp lettuce. You could use iceberg lettuce, baby gem lettuce, butterhead lettuce or summer crisp lettuce. You could mix in other greens like fresh spinach, arugula or watercress.
- Tomatoes – Small firm cherry tomatoes work best for this recipe.
- Radishes – These add a great crunch and crispness to the salad. Alternatively, you could opt for cucumbers to give the same freshness.
- Cheese – I used fresh parmesan shavings. Any cheese like sharp cheddar, Gouda or Edam will work as well.
- Bacon – I crumbled bacon for this recipe. You could easily use store bought bacon bits.
- Croutons – Any kind of croutons will work for this recipe. You could opt for toasted nuts or seeds, kale chips, crispy chickpeas or crispy tortilla strips.
- Homemade Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing – Any dressing will work for this salad. Try the Lemon Vinaigrette or any store bought dressings that are your favourites.
What To Serve With This Salad
This fresh Bacon and Tomato Salad is great to serve with barbecues or just as a light meal all on it’s own. It goes great with the Cheesy Garlic Fingers or some Fluffy White Dinner Rolls on the side. Serve it with the Spicy Barbecue Chicken Tenders, Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs or the Cheesy Barbecue Chicken Sliders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can easily make homemade croutons. Just cut up bread into small cubes. Arrange the cubes on a large baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt an pepper. You can add any additional herbs or spices that you might like. Give a good stir and bake in a 350 degrees f oven for about 12 minutes or until really crispy.
Homemade croutons can easily be frozen. Just place them in a freezer safe container and freeze up to one month. Defrost at room temperature and crisp up in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
Bacon Tomato Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce torn into small pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1/2 cup radishes ends trimmed and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup bacon crumbled
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shavings
- 1/2 cup croutons
For the dressing
- 1 Cup Greek yoghurt
- 1/4 Cup olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Make the salad
- In a large salad bowl, add the romaine lettuce. Top with tomatoes, radishes, bacon and parmesan shavings. Toss really well. Add croutons.
- Add dressing just before serving and lightly toss the salad. Serve immediately once the salad is dressed.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
