• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • Cookies
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Cookies
    • Birthday Cake Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans
  • Shop

Laid Back Summer Salad with roasted tomatoes and bacon

June 13, 2017 by Joy the Baker 16 Comments

This salad lives in that sweet spot between kitchen laziness and sincere artistic expression.  Consider summer salads your opportunity to play around on a plate with vegetables et al..  It’s food art, and really… the more croutons the better.  

This salad is a play on a layered cob.  Romaine lettuce leaves are washed well and left whole- saving on chopping and making this layered salad actually part taco.  Ya feel me?  

Here’s how:

•  Grab yourself a platter. 

     You’ll need: romaine leaves, crisp cooked bacon chopped well, roasted cherry tomatoes, a hard-boiled egg or two that’s been sliced, an avocado sliced up, ranch dressing, lots of well-crumbled croutons, sea salt and black pepper.  

•  Trim the romaine leaves from their bases.  Rinse in cool water and pat dry with a paper towel.  This is basically the most annoying part and you’re getting it over with. Pat on the ol’ back for you! 

•  Set the romaine leaves on the platter in just about a single layer.  Cozy them up close but be sure that all of the leaves will get a good sprinkling of toppings.

•  Speaking of toppings, let’s start with crisp and crumbled bacon. Sprinkle, go for it. 

•  Next up, roasted cherry tomatoes.  I sliced cherry tomatoes in half, drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper and let them rest in a 375 degrees F oven until they were bubbling, browned, and soft – about 20 minutes.  Boom. Perfect. 

•  Slice a hard-boiled egg and sprinkle the whites and yolks across the leaves.  

•  Avocado slices are a very good idea. If you’re taking this salad out on the town (you know, to a party or some such) I like to drizzle the avocado with lemon or lime so they don’t brown. 

•  Last, add ranch dressing and croutons.  The dressing could be homemade or store-bought. There’s no judgement here.   Same goes for crouton, pick up a bag at the store or make your own.  If store-bought (that’s what’s pictured above) be sure to crush them extra well before adding them to the top of a salad giving them a little variation in crumb and texture.   Add salt and pepper- go. 

There we are!  It’s simple.  Add cubed chicken or canned tuna if you’d like.  Blue cheese is also a bold and admirable choice.  Make it your own, with creativity and very little stress.

See also: How To Make The Best BLT Sandwich. 

I’m back to the kitchen experimenting with different bagel recipes.  Different art. Much moire boiling water and oven work.

More soon!

xo Joy

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Recipes, Savory

Previous Post: « Let It Be Sunday, 123!
Next Post: Kombucha Grapefruit Cocktail »

Reader Interactions

All Comments
I Made This
Questions
  1. Angela

    February 10, 2019 at 10:50 pm

    Yum! Made it this evening and added, artichoke hearts, roughly broken up goat cheese, sugar peas and avo, Forgot the croutons – oops! I left the salad dressing off and let the family pick out their favorite- I picked a vinegarette, the hubby picked a caesar My daughter picked out the ranch. :) Choices. :)
    There are so many for this salad- enjoy!

    Reply
  2. Claudia

    June 29, 2017 at 7:49 pm

    Tried this tonight and it was delicious! Perfect summer dinner for sharing while eating outside with wine. Thanks Joy!

    Reply
  3. David Kimani

    June 29, 2017 at 5:06 am

    Looks delicious.

    Reply
  4. Tracy

    June 15, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    YUM! This looks absolutely perfect!

    Reply
  5. Velva-Tomatoes on the Vine

    June 14, 2017 at 2:04 pm

    Love, love it! Thanks for sharing. Another great recipe for the sizzling summer days.

    Velva

    Reply
  6. Kate @ Cooking On Clocks

    June 14, 2017 at 9:26 am

    YUM. We make grilled romaine salads a bunch in the summer but i think they need to be topped with bacon from now on after seeing this. Seems like the right thing to do.

    Reply
  7. Heather

    June 14, 2017 at 5:20 am

    I made this tonight and it was incredible. The roasted cherry tomatoes really made it stand out. I also made home made croutons with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, oregano and garlic. Really flavorful. My bf needed protein so we added chicken. Simple but damn good. Joy = food God. Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Prattfall

    June 13, 2017 at 8:19 am

    So, cook bacon, roast tomatoes, boil eggs, but don’t turn on the oven or stove? Can I borrow your Superwoman laser eyes?

    I’m gonna give it a shot in a cast iron on the bbq outside. It’s 90F and 90% humidity here in Chicago, so I’ll be starting after dark. :D

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      June 13, 2017 at 10:19 am

      Wow… I’ve really done it this time, haven’t I.

      Reply
      • joann middleton

        June 14, 2017 at 7:31 am

        microwave bacon and a boiled egg – use cherry tomatoes…

        Reply
    • Cy

      June 15, 2017 at 1:18 pm

      Get a Breville toaster oven! It works like a second oven, smaller , but doesn’t heat up the kitchen. A perfect solution! I got rid of the toaster, the mini takes up about the same amount of counter space. Win win!

      Reply
  9. Paige

    June 13, 2017 at 7:52 am

    This looks so yummy! I want to try it soon!

    Paige
    https://thehappyflammily.com

    Reply
  10. Taste of France

    June 13, 2017 at 6:19 am

    Like a BLT plus some, and with less bread.

    Reply
  11. Peppermint Dolly

    June 13, 2017 at 5:48 am

    Major noms here!! Looks sooo tasty :-)
    Rebecca
    xx
    http://www.peppermintdolly.com

    Reply
  12. Rena

    June 13, 2017 at 5:22 am

    I love salad and what you show here is absolutely my taste!
    xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
    http://www.dressedwithsoul.com

    Reply
  13. Jeanny

    June 13, 2017 at 4:40 am

    All I need during summer: fresh salads (with lots of good bread of course :)) and a watermelon. Thanks for this lovely recipe, Joy <3

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Dinner

French onion chicken in a bowl surrounded by glasses on a table
One-Pot French Onion Chicken Dinner

All the comforts of French onion soup turned into a cozy one-pot dinner.  This French Onion Chicken dinner is downright romantic and perfect for this winter weekend spent all cuddled up. You know every year I trapse in here with a version of Marry Me Chicken that is rumored to be soo good as to…

Read More

Guest: Julia Turshen’s Chicken Francese

Welcome our first December guest – Julia Turshen! Julia Turshen is a best selling cookbook author, food writer, chef, and food equity advocate. She lectures on food and home cooking and has published four solo books on the subject and has contributed to many others in collaboration or as a writer. She hosts the podcast…

Read More

Texture of homemade hamburger helper in pot.
One-Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper with Sneaky Veggies

You’ll be making this homemade hamburger helper recipe for dinner at least once a month. It’s a hearty and comforting dish and jam packed with secret veggies. Not that we need to keep veggies a secret but… sometimes we do. Let’s make classic Helper from scratch! Your kids (or the child inside your heart) will…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

BREADS YOU’LL LOVE

jambalaya buttermilk biscuits in a row

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya Buttermilk Biscuits

inside of warm cinnamon roll on plate

How To Make The Best Single Serve Cinnamon Roll

Orange roll on a plate with a fork.

Christmas Morning Orange Rolls

LET’S MAKE COOKIES!

wider shot of lemon bars stacked on a plate with a bite taken out of one lemon bar

My Favorite Classic Lemon Bars Recipe

completed recipe close up shot of a blondie so the toasted almonds, chocolate chips, and sea salt can be seen

My Best Classic Blondie Recipe

cowboy cookies close up showing texture.

Cowboy Cookies with salted cereal brittle

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
Life Skill No. 458: How to Make 1️⃣2️⃣ Cup Life Skill No. 458: How to Make 1️⃣2️⃣ Cupcakes with just 1️⃣ Stick of Butter⁣
⁣
Full recipe linked in my bio! xo
Someone call @foodnetwork because Dad and I need a Someone call @foodnetwork because Dad and I need a baking show stat. Here’s our very best chocolate chip cookies and all the little tips that make them perfection. ✨🍪 Find the full recipe linked in the profile!
We’re baking the classics on Joy the Baker this We’re baking the classics on Joy the Baker this month and up next, my very favorite Lemon Bar recipe with fresh lemon juice and the tiniest hint of coriander. ⁣🍋🌼✨
⁣
Find the full recipe linked in the profile and bust out the white chocolate and macadamia nuts for next week’s bake! ⁣
⁣
#lemonbars #easybaking #bakedfromscratch #joythebaker
Day in the Life: out in the woods writing a little Day in the Life: out in the woods writing a little cookbook about camp food. 💖🏕️🙋🏻‍♀️
Homesick Banana Bread. Recipe linked in the profil Homesick Banana Bread. Recipe linked in the profile (and you don’t have to be homesick to make it). #bananabread #sundaybaking
Let’s make one single GIANT PANCAKE which is the Let’s make one single GIANT PANCAKE which is the perfect Breakfast Dessert or Spiral Bake - whatever you need it to be. ⁣
⁣
Pro Tips: Smell you buttermilk and decide it’s probably fine. Flip the pancake with reckless confidence. You can sit to eat - you don’t have to eat like you work in a restaurant anymore. ⁣
⁣
Find a version of the full recipe linked in the profile. Xo.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up