Last week I took a cooking class that was all about tomatoes. Tomato sauce, tomato tart, tomato salads, all night long. I couldn’t wait for this tomato-themed cooking class because I love tomatoes and I was especially excited because I planted 5 tomato plants back in June. Obviously I was going to be up to my ears in tomatoes by August, right? Um, wrong. For the third year in a row, my tomato plants are duds. Actually I can’t really blame the tomato plants….it’s probably my fault. Point of the story: by the time the cooking class came, my tomato plants had a grand total of 1 tomato on the branches. One! Not exactly the overflowing bounty I had imagined. (Side note: how awesome is that one lone tomato?! What a stud…defying the odds of the Ellingson garden!)
I fully plan on visiting the farmers market and picking up loads of fresh tomatoes to make all of the amazing recipes that we learned in class but until then, I stuck with making this extra special version of a BLT that we learned. Partly because it only called for one tomato but mostly because it was absolutely delicious.
This version requires a couple more ingredients than a traditional BLT but is still ridiculously simple. The twist is the addition of a cream cheese mixture made of 3 simple ingredients: cream cheese, basil, and green onions. Slather your pieces of bread with a thick smear of the stuff, then top with your bacon and tomato and you’re set. Seriously the cream cheese mixture takes the simple BLT to a whole new level.
While I didn’t put lettuce on my BLT you definitely can if you just can’t imagine a BLT without the L. And while we ended up eating our BLT’s with roasted veggies to use up some of our CSA bounty, I would highly suggest serving them with fresh sweet corn (slathered in butter and salt, of course) to make the most perfect summer meal.
Like this recipe? Then you’ll love these too:
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Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Chimichurri Cream Cheese Spread
blt’s with basil cream cheese spread
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- 4 slices bread
- 1 to mato sliced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp green onions chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Fry bacon and set aside.
- In small bowl, combine cream cheese, basil, and green onions, mix together with fork or electric mixer. Season with salt.
- Toast bread.
- Spread thick layer of cream cheese mixture over 2 slices of bread.
- Top with tomato slices, bacon, and remaining 2 slices of toasted bread.
- Enjoy!
ooooooh super tasty! Love fresh tomatoes in a sandwich!
I love BLT’s. One of my favorite sandwiches! I’m sorry your tomato plants aren’t thriving….you can come to my house! I really don’t know how mine grow so well every year because they are planted in an old flower bed full of old landscaping, rock and minimal soil. Really, it doesn’t make much sense!
On a side note – I just lined up with Ziplist. Be honest – how hard it is to get it all installed? Put on every past recipe? I’m really nervous about it as I’m not very good at that behind-the-scenes stuff!
Ally, I thought it was super easy to get set up. I’m not sure if you’re on blogger or WordPress (I’m on WordPress) so that was my experience. I also haven’t put on every past recipe…it wouldn’t be difficult, though, just time consuming! I’m not very good at the behind-the-scenes stuff either 😉
Yum that looks super delicious!! 🙂
BLTs just scream summer to me. My Mom makes the best ones ever. .. I love this twist on the classic recipe – thanks for sharing. And don’t feel too bad about your tomatoes, mine are the same way usually. 😉
Katie, my mom always makes the best BLT’s too…somehow mine never live up to hers!
Oh, a tomato class sounds like a lot of fun! Sorry to hear about your plants, what a bummer,
I’ve been throwing my produce scraps right into the pots of my tomato plants and that has seemed to help some.
I love a good BLT (without the B- I use tempeh bacon!) and the basil cream cheese sounds incredible!
Sarah I’m going to have to try the produce scraps… I’ll try anything at this point!
Goodness, this spread would spice up even the dullest of BLT’s! Delish and – by the looks of it – super refreshing 🙂
My tomato plant is really sad also… nothing to show for it this summer. The sandwiches look amazing though!
YES! ALL about the BLTs lately!
I made this tonight for supper! Loved it! What a fun twist on a BLT! It tasted so good, I was smearing it on crackers before supper. Now I am pleasantly stuffed!
Make it amazing by adding avocado and fresh mozzarella. We ate this outside with a side of grilled corn on the cob and it was a little piece of summertime heaven.
I like what you did there.