Stacked Caesar BLT Recipe
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As someone who loves both a good food mashup, a good BLT, and a good Caesar salad, this stacked Caesar BLT recipe was all but destined to be born. Now, as someone who prides myself on having enjoyed quite a few BLTs in my life, I can assure you this is not your average Caesar BLT sandwich. It's certainly not some slap-dash combination of bagged salad, bacon, and tomato stuffed between a couple bread slices. Instead, I architected this sandwich with purpose, choosing ingredients for maximum flavor appeal and stacking with intention.
For the "B" element in our BLT, I opted for thick-sliced bacon for it's meatier, heftier bite. No brittle bacon for our stacked sandwich. The "L" is a combination of kale and romaine — the latter for that classic Caesar crunch and the former (massaged in our homemade Caesar dressing) for an earthy, moderately bitter edge. Slices of heirloom tomatoes make up our "T" element, offering up optimal juicy appeal and umami depth. But we're not stopping there! Leaning into the more Caesar salad-inspired elements of this recipe, I included a layer of marinated fresh white anchovies and a layer of shaved Parmesan in the mix. This one-two umami punch really ties the whole thing together, marrying both the BLT and Caesar elements, and making for one sandwich that will no doubt shake-up your lunchtime routine.
Gather the stacked Caesar BLT ingredients
For the Caesar dressing, you will need mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Then, for crafting the sandwich, start with thick-sliced bacon, rustic white bread slices, fresh kale, romaine lettuce, white onion, white anchovies in oil (or boquerones), heirloom tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.
Step 1: Make the Caesar dressing
To make the Caesar dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 2: Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Step 3: Prep the baking sheet
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 4: Lay bacon slices on baking sheet
Place the bacon on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
Step 5: Cook the bacon
Bake the bacon for 20 minutes, or until crisp.
Step 6: Set bacon aside but keep drippings on pan
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve the bacon drippings on the baking sheet.
Step 7: Coat the bread slices in bacon drippings
Place the bread slices on the baking sheet and generously coat in the bacon drippings.
Step 8: Toast the bread slices
Return the baking sheet to the oven and toast the bread for 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven.
Step 9: Spread Caesar dressing over bread slices
Spread 1 tablespoon of Caesar dressing over each toasted bread slice.
Step 10: Add some dressing to kale
Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and drizzle with ¼ cup of Caesar dressing.
Step 11: Massage the kale
Using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale to help tenderize.
Step 12: Add the romaine and onion to the bowl
Add the romaine and onion to the bowl with the massaged kale.
Step 13: Toss the salad
Optionally drizzle the salad with additional dressing to taste and toss to coat.
Step 14: Assemble the sandwiches
To assemble the sandwiches, divide the bacon between four of the dressed toasts.
Step 15: Add the anchovies
Generously top the bacon with white anchovies.
Step 16: Add the tomato slices
Top the anchovies with a couple slices of tomato.
Step 17: Add the Caesar salad
Mound a generous amount of salad on top of the tomatoes.
Step 18: Top with Parmesan cheese
Divide the shaved parmesan between the sandwiches.
Step 19: Cap and serve the stacked Caesar BLT
Cap the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices and secure with a toothpick before serving.
What to serve with stacked Caesar BLTs
Stacked Caesar BLT Recipe
Our super-stacked Caesar BLT combines two favorites into one sandwich, featuring thick bacon, heirloom tomatoes, Caesar greens, and even white anchovies.
Ingredients
- For the Caesar dressing
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- For the BLT
- 1 pound thick-sliced bacon
- 8 slices rustic white bread
- 2 cups chopped fresh kale
- 2 cup chopped romaine
- ¼ cup thinly sliced white onion
- 1 (7-ounce) white anchovies in oil
- 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- ⅔ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Directions
- To make the Caesar dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the bacon on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
- Bake the bacon for 20 minutes, or until crisp.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve the bacon drippings on the baking sheet.
- Place the bread slices on the baking sheet and generously coat in the bacon drippings.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and toast the bread for 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of Caesar dressing over each toasted bread slice.
- Place the chopped kale in a large bowl and drizzle with ¼ cup of Caesar dressing.
- Using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale to help tenderize.
- Add the romaine and onion to the bowl with the massaged kale.
- Optionally drizzle the salad with additional dressing to taste and toss to coat.
- To assemble the sandwiches, divide the bacon between four of the dressed toasts.
- Generously top the bacon with white anchovies.
- Top the anchovies with a couple slices of tomato.
- Mound a generous amount of salad on top of the tomatoes.
- Divide the shaved parmesan between the sandwiches.
- Cap the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices and secure with a toothpick before serving.
What are white anchovies and what could I use instead?
If you've ever cracked open a can of anchovies before, you may have noticed that they looked mostly brown and tasted very salty. These traditional anchovies are typically salt-cured, resulting in that delicious but intensely salty profile. White anchovies, also known as boquerones, are fresh anchovies that are marinated in vinegar and just a bit of salt, and are then packed in oil. These teeny fish fillets are much milder tasting, less salty, and offer a brighter, tangy flavor profile than your standard brown anchovies. They get that white appearance by being prepared in a way similar to ceviche, "cooked" in an acidic mixture. Their texture is firmer than that of the salt-cured variety and provides a much less intensely fishy flavor. That fresh, savory element is superior for this super-stacked sandwich, and it's precisely why I chose white anchovies for the job.
I do not recommend substituting the white anchovies for the standard salt-cured option. Those anchovies would taste far too salty on the sandwich. Instead, if you are looking for a fish-free option, green olives offer a similarly salty, briny profile. It might seem unusual, but roasted or seared mushrooms would offer a nice substituted umami bite. You can also remove the white anchovy option entirely and still have a very enjoyable sandwich.
Do I have to toast the bread slices in bacon drippings?
If I had one culinary motto in this world, it would be to "spare no pan-drippings." Especially if, like in the case of this recipe, the drippings in question can make for a delicious toasting element. Toasting the bread in the bacon pan drippings adds a deep, smoky, savory element to our otherwise very plain white bread slices. It instantly elevates the bread's flavor and creates a lovely crispy, golden crust without the need for any extra ingredients. Your bread won't taste greasy, I promise. The bread-to-drippings ratio in this recipe is very balanced.
If I haven't convinced you of the virtues of bacon drippings for bread toasting, there are some other options you can use to get that golden, crispness. Spread the bread slices with softened butter and skillet-toast for a perfect crisp. You can also drizzle the bread slices with olive oil or infused olive oil and toast in the oven. And naturally, you might ask ... do I even need to toast the bread slices? Yes! Stacked sandwiches of this nature need stability, and untoasted bread will get soggy very quickly and could potentially cause the sandwich to fall apart.