What to Eat with BLT – Soups, Chips and Salads

How it works

What to eat with BLT sandwiches? In print in the 1950s, a BLT came with a bowl of soup, pickles or a chocolate milkshake. These 41 ideas start there and add chips, fries, salads, fruit and extras for the sandwich.

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The sandwich and its tray

A BLT is bacon, lettuce and tomato between two slices of bread, usually white and often toasted, sometimes with mayonnaise. A 1951 magazine scene put it on a tray with a bowl of soup and a chocolate milkshake. A 1954 meal suggestion set bean soup and pickles beside it. A fried egg or avocado can go inside. Sliced turkey and a third slice of toast turn it into a club sandwich.

Hot, crisp or cold

The sandwich is salty, crisp and juicy, so the side can go three ways: a hot soup, something crunchy from a bag or a fryer, or a cold salad or fruit. For lunch, one is enough.

Toast the bread just before serving so it stays crisp next to a soup or a juicy salad.
For a crowd, set out bacon, lettuce, tomato and toast with two pots of soup, and let everyone build their own.

Questions and answers

What sides go with a BLT?

Soup, chips or a cold salad. Tomato soup, kettle potato chips and creamy coleslaw are the simplest three, with a dill pickle spear on the plate.

What soup goes with a BLT?

Tomato soup doubles the tomato, and bean soup is the 1950s pairing. Corn chowder, potato leek soup and broccoli cheddar soup are thicker choices.

What salad goes with a BLT?

Creamy coleslaw, cucumber salad, broccoli salad or pea salad. Potato salad, macaroni salad and pasta salad with vegetables are the filling ones for a picnic.

What to serve with BLTs in summer?

BLTs are especially popular in summer, after the tomato harvest, so keep the sides cold: gazpacho, watermelon wedges, cantaloupe slices, peach slices and a glass of lemonade or iced tea.

What do you drink with a BLT?

A chocolate milkshake, the 1950s tray partner. Iced tea and lemonade suit a summer lunch, and orange juice suits a BLT at breakfast.

All 41 ideas

Soups 8

Bean soup Thick and plain, so the bacon stays the salty part of the meal.
Broccoli cheddar soup Rich and cheesy, for a cold day.
Chicken noodle soup Light and brothy beside a rich sandwich.
Clam chowder Creamy, with potatoes. Bacon is at home beside it.
Cold gazpacho Raw tomato and cucumber, blended and chilled, for tomato season.
Corn chowder Sweet and creamy against the crisp bacon.
Potato leek soup Mild and velvety. A cup, not a bowl, is plenty.
Tomato soup Hot and smooth. Dip a corner of the sandwich in it.

Chips, fries and filling salads 8

French fries Hot and salted, the diner plate.
Kettle potato chips Thick and loud. Put a handful on the plate, or a few inside the sandwich.
Macaroni salad Soft, cool and mild, a scoop to a plate.
Onion dip for the chips Cool and creamy in a small bowl beside the bag.
Onion rings Crisp batter and soft onion. Share one basket.
Pasta salad with vegetables Dressed with oil and vinegar, so it travels to a picnic.
Potato salad Cold and creamy, made the day before.
Sweet potato fries Sweet where the bacon is salty.

Salads and pickles 10

Bread and butter pickles Sweet and sour slices. Good in the sandwich as well.
Broccoli salad Raw florets in a creamy dressing with something sweet and something crunchy.
Celery and carrot sticks Raw and cold, with a creamy dip if you like.
Cottage cheese with black pepper A cold scoop, plain and mild.
Creamy coleslaw Cold crunch on the side, or a forkful inside the sandwich.
Cucumber salad Thin slices in vinegar with a little sugar.
Deviled eggs Halved, filled and dusted with paprika.
Dill pickle spear Laid across the plate, sour and cold.
Pea salad Cold peas in a creamy dressing, a potluck standby.
Pepperoncini Mild pickled peppers with a little heat.

Fruit 4

Blueberries A small bowl to pick at when the sandwich is gone.
Cantaloupe slices Sweet and soft after the salt of the bacon.
Peach slices Ripe, juicy and unpeeled, eaten with fingers.
Watermelon wedges Cold from the refrigerator, for a summer lunch.

Extras for the sandwich 7

A fried egg Slide it in while the yolk is still soft.
Avocado slices Inside the sandwich, next to the tomato.
Mayonnaise Spread to the edges of the toast so the tomato cannot soak in.
Pimento cheese Spread on one slice of the toast in place of mayonnaise.
Sharp cheddar A thin slice against the warm bacon.
Sliced turkey Add a layer and a third slice of toast and it becomes a club.
Sprouts A light handful for extra crunch.

Drinks 4

Chocolate milkshake Thick, cold and sweet against the salty bacon.
Iced tea Unsweetened or sweet, with lemon.
Lemonade Tart and cold in a tall glass.
Orange juice For a sandwich eaten at breakfast.