Tomato Bacon Avocado Salad with Southwest Ranch Dressing

Imagine a BLTA (Bacon Lettuce Tomato Avocado Sandwich) but ditch the bread and add in a homemade zesty Southwest Ranch dressing made with creamy buttermilk. It’s a salad fit for a meal.

The Salad Components

Most of my recipes come with options based on your own tastes.  This particular salad, the bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado are non-negotiables. But, the cheese and cilantro are optional or substitute-able.

The cotija cheese is the first recommendation since the flair of this salad skews toward the southwest flavors. But, I’ll be honest, I don’t love cotija and use feta in its place. Perhaps a misplaced fusion of flavors, but hey, we’ve all got our own tastes and opinions. You do what makes you happy.

As for the cilantro, I know there are people out there with a flavor aversion to the herb. So, in which case, ditch it altogether and don’t think twice about it.

Southwest Tomato Bacon Avocado Salad

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★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Joanie Simon
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x

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Description

Imagine a BLT but skip the bread, add avocado and toss it with a tangy southwest ranch dressing.

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Ingredients

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Dressing

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 Tbs lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 Tbs yellow mustard or dijon
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• 1 head romaine or green leaf lettuce
• 2 cups shredded cabbage or slaw mix
• 6 strips of bacon cooked and then chopped into bits
• 1/3 cup cotija or feta cheese
• 1 cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro (optional)

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Instructions

• Combine dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Place in a dressing container for serving.
• For the salad, layer up the ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing or serve the dressing on the side

Notes

• For a spicy kick, add jalapenos
• There will likely be more dressing than you need for the salad, so just keep the remaining and use it for dip or another salad.

• Prep Time: 20min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Category: salad
• Method: blender
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: BLT, avocado, salad, ranch dressing, bacon, tomatoes, dinner salad, keto