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Built on a hearty base of grains, these BLT Grain Bowls upgrade the already delicious BLT sandwich. Crispy bacon bits, juicy cherry tomatoes, and peppery arugula are finished with a creamy, tangy dressing that makes this recipe satisfying to eat. It’s an easy, customizable meal that works just as well for lunch prep as it does for a simple weeknight dinner.
Table of Contents:
- Table of Contents:
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients:
- Tips & FAQs:
- Recipe:
- Check out these other great recipes!
Quick life update! I don’t normally share my life story, but I’ve decided that since it’s a new year, I would rather share my experiences as of late with everyone and anyone who is willing to read. In early 2024, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I took a step back from blogging and recipe testing and focused on my well-being as well as my unborn daughter’s health. I wanted to continue my blog during pregnancy, but it ended up getting to a point where I couldn’t stand for long or smell certain foods without feeling nauseous and becoming out of breath. Every step of the way was both exciting and scary. I hate the unknown; not knowing if I’ll be ok, not knowing if my daughter will be ok, and my high anxiety made things so much worse. The day came when I needed to be induced, and I was mentally not ok. I do not like hospitals, needles, or pain. I cried, hyperventilated, you name it. My daughter came out as a healthy baby, and we could not be happier to be parents.
2025 was a different beast. We had lost our jobs, and we were financially unstable. The anxiety of not knowing if we’ll be in this house next month drove me up a wall. Everything that could’ve gone wrong, went wrong. I couldn’t go back to recipe testing or blogging due to finances. We’re extremely lucky that we’re still in the house thanks to the help of our family and friends. We’re still recovering, but I now have a new job that I can see myself at for a while, and my husband is taking contract work for now. Whatever we need to pay the bills and make sure our daughter has a safe and secure life is our only goal. We always have money for her, no matter how short we’ll be.
I am so excited to be back testing my recipes and sharing them with everyone once again! I didn’t know if my blog would still be here because of how short on funds we were. This is something I love doing (other than being a mother), and my heart was broken when the future of Miss Raven’s Kitchen was unknown. As of now, posting won’t be as frequent because I need to be able to ease myself back in rather than going in full throttle. So, I started my return with these BLT Grain Bowls! Simple, easy, and absolutely deliciously satisfying.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
My BLT Grain Bowls take the classic BLT sandwich and give it a major upgrade. A hearty bowl of brown rice is mixed with lemon juice and parsley, then topped off with peppery arugula, juicy cherry tomatoes, and cubed white cheddar. Add a slightly jammy hard-boiled egg and diced avocado, then finish it with a drizzle of creamy pesto dressing made with cottage cheese for extra protein. You can’t get any more ultimate than that! All of the ingredients are customizable, which is the best part of this recipe. Want farro instead of brown rice? Go for it! Iceberg lettuce instead of arugula? By all means! Maybe you’d prefer Italian dressing rather than the cottage cheese pesto dressing. It all works! This bowl is super satisfying to eat. It’s a great lunch prep recipe as well, since you don’t need to reheat it unless you pack the rice separately to warm it up. It’s just as good cold!
Ingredients:
- Cooked Brown Rice: I measured 1 cup of brown rice per bowl. You can easily switch out the brown rice for farro, quinoa, or white rice if you wish. Cauliflower rice is a great low-carb option!
- Fresh Parsley & Lemon Juice: Used for the brown rice for extra flavor!
- Bacon: It’s not a BLT bowl without bacon. I used an entire package of bacon for this recipe, as only doing 8 pieces left 2 bowls without bacon while testing. Feel free to switch regular bacon for turkey bacon or vegan bacon.
- Baby Arugula: This type of leafy green offers a great peppery note to the bowl. I love using arugula in bowl recipes, but you can easily swap it out for any other leafy green of your choice.
- Cherry tomatoes: I love the sweetness in this type of small tomato. You can use grape tomatoes if you want, or dice up a beefsteak tomato.
- Large Eggs: I hard-boiled these eggs until slightly jammy in the middle, but not soft-boiled. You can skip the hard-boiling and fry them instead!
- Sharp White Cheddar: I used a block of white cheddar and cut it into cubes for this. It’s all about texture in bowls. However, if you want to shred the cheese, that’s totally up to you.
- Avocados: To me, a good bowl has avocado in it. It’s a good fat and makes everything better, just like bacon!
- Cottage Cheese, Basil Pesto, Lemon Juice, Sriracha, Parmesan Cheese: These are the dressing ingredients that go on top of the bowl. The sriracha gave it a much-needed kick. Cottage cheese is a great protein to use. You won’t realize it’s cottage cheese (neither will your kids, just like my toddler daughter!) I added a few tablespoons of water to thin out the dressing since it was too thick with just the lemon juice
Tips & FAQs:
- Storage: I highly recommend storing everything separately. The eggs will keep for 7 days at max, and the halved cherry tomatoes will keep for 4 days. The dressing itself will keep for 4-5 days. Avocados, when cut into, are best consumed the same day because they tend to brown quickly. If you want to store them, add a bit of lemon/lime juice to the cut avocado and tightly wrap with plastic cling wrap. Rice will keep for 3-4 days. Cooked bacon will keep for 4-5 days if stored properly in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cook your grains & eggs ahead of time: Doing this will greatly help you in the long run. Grains like farro, quinoa, or brown rice keep well in the fridge. This will make your meal prep easier. Hard-boiled eggs keep for about a week in the fridge, so making them in advance will also help. You can even make additional eggs to keep as a snack!
- Make the bacon when you’re ready to serve the bowls: Making the bacon the day of serving will yield the best result. It’ll be warm, crispy, and delicious. Crisping the bacon in advance will yield soggy bacon if you just serve it from the fridge. You can always refry it in a skillet to bring it back to life, but I prefer bacon when it’s freshly cooked.
- What to Serve This With: It’s best on its own, but if you want some extra crunch on top, crumble some chips like tortilla chips (as I’m guilty of doing sometimes). Pita chips are also an amazing accompaniment.
- Is this good for meal prep lunches? Absolutely! This recipe is tailored to make an easy weeknight dinner or even as meal prep for lunch at work. It’s filling and holds well in the fridge. I recommend storing the ingredients separate though. The rice can be eaten cold, or you can warm it up.
- Variations:
- Swap the bacon for vegan bacon, turkey bacon, or roasted chickpeas.
- Substitute any leafy green for the arugula. It’s your preference.
- The dressing can be swapped for Ranch, Caesar, Italian, or Thousand Island.
- White cheddar can be swapped out for regular sharp cheddar, mozzarella, feta, parmesan, or whichever cheese you want! You can add additional plain cottage cheese if you want.
- If you want a little extra protein, feel free to add shredded or chopped chicken, steak, grilled shrimp, or salmon.
- The bowl fillings variations are endless. The choices are yours to make as to what you want to put in it!
- Wine Pairings:
- A crisp and acidic Sauvignon Blanc complements this bowl perfectly.
- Dry Rose complements the bacon. Look for one that is refreshing, light, and slightly fruity.
- A creamy unoaked chardonnay also works with this bowl.
- For those who want Non-Alcoholic options: Lemonade, Lemon Sparkling Water, or an Iced Mint or Hibiscus tea works wonderfully.
Recipe:
BLT Grain Bowls
Built on a hearty base of grains, these BLT Grain Bowls upgrade the already delicious BLT sandwich. Crispy bacon bits, juicy cherry tomatoes, and peppery arugula are finished with a creamy, tangy dressing that makes this recipe satisfying to eat. It’s an easy, customizable meal that works just as well for lunch prep as it does for a simple weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked brown rice, farro, or quinoa, warm
- 1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 3 oz baby arugula (approx 4 cups)
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx 1 1/2 lemons, depending on size)
- 4-6 eggs
- Salt, to taste
- 8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese block, cubed into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 avocados, halved, pit removed, and diced
- 1/2 cup plain cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (approx 1/2 lemon depending on size)
- 1 tbsp sriracha, or more depending on heat preference, optional
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp water, as needed to thin out dressing
Instructions
- Gently place the eggs whole in a medium-sized stockpot. Fill the pot with cold water an inch over the eggs. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Keep it covered and let it sit for 10-12 minutes, depending on desired doneness. 10 minutes will have a vibrant yolk and will be a bit creamy; meanwhile, 12 minutes will yield a fully cooked yolk and a chalkier texture.
- Transfer the eggs to an ice bath and let them chill for 15 minutes. This will make the eggs easier to peel. Peel the eggs and slice with an egg slicer if you have one. Set them aside.
- Combine the grain of choice, parsley, lemon juice, and salt to taste in a mixing bowl until the parsley is evenly distributed throughout the grains.
- In a food processor or blender, blend the cottage cheese, basil pesto, lemon juice, sriracha if using, and parmesan until combined. Add 1 tbsp of water to the dressing as needed to thin out the dressing. Blend until well combined and smooth.
- If you prefer a thinner dressing, you will need more than 3 tbsp. Adjust accordingly to your preference.
- Divide the grains between 4 bowls, about 1 cup in each bowl. Top each bowl with arugula, sliced hard-boiled eggs (one per bowl), cherry tomatoes, white cheddar cubes, diced avocado (one half of each avocado per bowl), and cooked bacon. Drizzle the dressing over each bowl and serve.
Notes
Storage: I highly recommend storing everything separately. The eggs will keep for 7 days at max. Halved cherry tomatoes will keep for 4 days. Dressing will keep for 4-5 days. Avocados, when cut into, are best consumed the same day. They tend to brown quickly. If you want to store them, add a bit of lemon/lime juice to the cut avocado and tightly wrap with plastic cling wrap. Rice will keep for 3-4 days. Cooked bacon will keep for 4-5 days if stored properly by storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
Cook your grains & eggs ahead of time: Doing this will greatly help you in the long run. Grains like farro, quinoa, or brown rice keep well in the fridge, which will make your meal prep or even dinner easier. Hard-boiled eggs keep for about a week in the fridge, so making them in advance will also help. You can even make additional eggs to keep as a snack!
Make the bacon when you’re ready to serve the bowls: Making the bacon the day of serving will yield the best result. It’ll be warm, crispy, and delicious. Crisping the bacon in advance will yield soggy bacon if you just serve it from the fridge. You can always refry it in a skillet to bring it back to life, but I prefer bacon when it’s fresh.
What to Serve This With: It’s best on its own! If you want some extra crunch on top or eat it with chips like nachos (as I’m guilty of doing sometimes), pita chips are an amazing accompaniment.
Is this good for meal prep lunches? Absolutely! This recipe is tailored to make an easy weeknight dinner or even as meal prep for lunch at work. It’s filling and holds well in the fridge. I recommend storing the ingredients separate though. The rice can be eaten cold, or you can warm it up.
Variations:
- Swap the bacon for vegan bacon, turkey bacon, or roasted chickpeas.
- Substitute any leafy green for the arugula. It’s your preference.
- The dressing can be swapped for Ranch, Caesar, Italian, or even Thousand Island.
- White cheddar can be swapped out for regular sharp cheddar, mozzarella, feta, parmesan, or whichever cheese you want! You can even add additional plain cottage cheese if you want.
- If you want a little extra protein, feel free to add shredded or chopped chicken, chopped or sliced steak, grilled shrimp, or salmon.
- The bowl fillings variations are endless. The choices are yours to make as to what you want to put in it!
Wine Pairings:
- A crisp and acidic Sauvignon Blanc complements this bowl perfectly.
- Dry Rose complements the bacon. Look for one that is refreshing, light, and slightly fruity.
- A creamy unoaked chardonnay also works with this bowl.
- For those who want Non-Alcoholic options: Lemonade, Lemon Sparkling Water, or an Iced Mint or Hibiscus tea works wonderfully.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
613Fat (grams)
52 gSat. Fat (grams)
21 gCarbs (grams)
15 gFiber (grams)
5 gSugar (grams)
3 gProtein (grams)
32 gSodium (milligrams)
1193 mgCholesterol (grams)
95 mgThis is calculated for 4 servings.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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