Last updated January 17th, 2025
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This 5-ingredient BLT recipe with roasted garlic aioli and baby arugula on ciabatta bread is the perfect picnic lunch for a hot summer day.

Summer is here, which means more picnics and beach days ahead! And you know what else that means? More picnic-friendly sandwiches you can easily prep at home and take with you for a day out in the sun.
This week, we’re sharing our version of the perfect BLT sandwich, made with roasted garlic aioli.
This recipe is straightforward and simple – as any good BLT should be! The beauty of this sandwich lies in its simplicity, much like our basil pesto caprese sandwich. No embellishments, no complicated instructions or cooking methods. Just high-quality, fresh ingredients stacked between fluffy ciabatta.
What This Recipe Entails
If you have leftover bacon and a jar of garlic aioli in your fridge, you can easily make this BLT sandwich in just 5 minutes.

Ingredients
A good sandwich relies on flavorful, high quality ingredients. Here’s what we recommend looking for at the grocery store:
- Bacon – Use a high quality bacon brand like Oscar Meyer.
- Lettuce – We love the peppery bite of fresh arugula on a BLT, but you can also use Romaine if you’re more traditional.
- Tomato – Vine tomatoes work best for a BLT since they’re very juicy and flavorful, and they’re perfect for slicing.
- Roasted garlic aioli – For a store-bought option, we highly recommend Stonewall Kitchen’s roasted garlic aioli (buy it here). However, you can also easily make your own at home with a head of garlic and some mayo, lemon juice, and salt! Here’s a great recipe to try.
- Bread – Grab a super fresh loaf of your favorite bread. Soft bread with a sturdy crust works best here; we love using ciabatta!
How To Make A Perfect BLT Sandwich
Alex once taught me an important lesson in sandwich-making: there’s a science to layering the ingredients. If you don’t put things in the right order, any sandwich can easily turn into a soggy mess. Which is exactly what you don’t want, especially if you want to pack this BLT for a picnic lunch!
Here’s how to assemble a BLT sandwich:
- Aioli – spread a layer of roasted garlic aioli on both pieces of bread to add moisture to the top and bottom of the sandwich
- Lettuce – build a base of arugula to trap all the tomato juices and keep the bread from getting soggy
- Tomato – add the tomato next, on top of the lettuce
- Bacon – add the bacon last so that it stays crispy
Close the sandwich, and you have a perfect BLT sandwiched between layers of delicious roasted garlic aioli!




Serving Suggestions
A BLT sandwich is great for both lunch and dinner, whether you’re at home or taking food to go:
- Work lunch – Fry up some bacon early in the week, and then you can easily pack BLTs for lunch before heading out the door in the morning.
- Picnic lunch – Pack up BLTs for a picnic in the park or a day hike! Pair your sandwich with snacks like pretzels, apple slices, or carrots and tzatziki.
- Easy dinner – A BLT makes the perfect summer dinner with a side of fries.
Expert Tips
- Don’t be afraid to use a lot of bacon on your BLT. It’s the star of the show here!
- Use fresh, juicy tomatoes and crisp lettuce. There’s no hiding these two ingredients – you’ll notice a difference if your tomatoes are overripe or your lettuce is starting to brown.
- Elevate your BLT with a high quality condiment like Stonewall Kitchen roasted garlic aioli
- To pack a BLT to go, wrap the sandwich tightly in parchment paper or foil. Pop it in a cooler bag with an ice pack and it’ll stay fresh for a few hours.

FAQs
A soft yet sturdy bread works best for a BLT, like ciabatta or a baguette. A solid crust helps keep the bread from getting too soggy and falling apart.
You don’t have to toast a BLT, but you absolutely can! We recommend lightly toasting the bread before assembling the sandwich so that the lettuce and tomato stay super fresh.
The tomato should be the middle layer on your BLT to keep it from getting soggy. Add the lettuce first, then the tomato, so the lettuce can prevent the tomato juices from seeping into the bread too much.
It’s true that food tastes best when it’s made with love! Put just a little bit of thoughtfulness and care into building your BLT, and you’ll taste the difference. Try our recipe below and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share!
Love this recipe? You may also enjoy these sandwich recipes, too:
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BLT With Roasted Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
- 4 ounces fresh ciabatta bread or other sandwich bread
- 2 to 3 teaspoons roasted garlic aioli
- 1 handful baby arugula
- 1 small vine tomato sliced into quarter-inch thick rounds
- 4 pieces bacon cooked
Instructions
- Spread a thin layer of roasted garlic aioli onto both halves of the ciabatta bread.
- Add a handful of baby arugula on the bottom piece of bread, then add a layer of sliced tomato, before finishing with a layer of bacon.
- Close the sandwich and serve immediately, or wrap in foil or parchment paper and pack in a cooler bag for a picnic lunch to go.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
Looking for kitchen inspiration? Head over to our shop to see what we cook with every day, plus recommendations for foodie gifts and eco-friendly products.