Mini BLT Tomato Cups

If you're looking for bite-sized appetizers for your next party, look no further. These Mini BLT Cups are as cute as they are delicious! Cherry tomatoes are stuffed with arugula and a little chipotle mayo then topped with a piece of crunchy bacon.

Friends! I've made us my all-time favorite appetizer recipe and I'm ridiculously excited to share it with you.

These mini BLT cups first appeared on The Endless Meal back in 2013. It's Throw Back Thursday time again today (the 27th #tbt post!) and I thought it was about time these guys came back.

They are the ultimate party appy. Since we have tons of entertaining coming up over the next few months (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, game day parties, and just for the heck of it parties) I thought we should all have a guaranteed hit recipe that we can pull out whenever we need to.

In the name of keeping things simple, I've made a few adjustments to the recipe. If you've made these before, don't worry. The recipe is every bit as good now with way less work.

These tomato cups are all the things you would find in a BLT sandwich, only in cute, bite-sized appetizer form. Plump cherry tomatoes (the T) are hollowed out then stuffed with a piece of arugula (the L) and crumbled bacon (the B).

Some easy to make chipotle mayo is piped on top because you can't have a BLT (or mini BLT cups) without chipotle mayo. I swear there's a law about that somewhere.

Do you see how cute that Mini BLT Cup is? When you bring these to a party, no one can resist them. It's ridiculous how fast a plate of these can disappear.

Besides winning all the presentation and deliciousness points, these little tomato cups also win big time in the easy to eat at a party category. I know you've all been to a party and tried to snack on something messy only to have to go racing around trying to find a napkin to wipe the mess from your face/ stop the juice from running down your arm/ blot the puddle of fill-in-the-blank from the front of your new dress. So not fun.

These perfectly bite-sized mini BLT cups will never give you any of those troubles. Win!

Original post: January 7th, 2013

Warning: These bite-sized Mini BLT Cups are highly addictive. I'm mean, really really addictive. You get some crispy bacon and smoky chipotle aioli all inside a perfectly juicy little tomato. Oh ya, and there's even a little piece of arugula just to make the whole thing look extra pretty.

Set these mini BLT cups out at a party and they are going to fly off the plate. Trust me, I've seen it happen with my own eyes.

Grape tomatoes are perfect for this recipe but cherry tomatoes will work too. I use baby arugula for the lettuce but have also used baby spinach in a pinch. Whatever kind of lettuce you use just make sure it's small. (Update: I now prefer to use cherry tomatoes in this recipe.)

The original photo of these Mini BLT Cups:

If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.

To make your life a lot more simple (and who doesn't love that?) I suggest that you put the chipotle mayo in a pastry bag fitted with a smallish tip and then pipe it into the tomatoes. You can also use a plastic sandwich bag and just snip the corner off.

The mayo is super easy to make and adds so much flavor to these tomato cups. It's a tiny bit spicy and has tons of smoky flavor, just the way chipotle mayo should be.

I've used liquid smoke in this recipe. Have you heard of it? You can buy it (for super cheap!) in the BBQ sauce section of most grocery stores. A couple of drops will add a delicious smoky flavor.

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EASY APPETIZER RECIPES:

• Sesame Pineapple Sausage Bites
• Easy Marinated Olives and Almonds
• Bacon Scallop Lollipops with Honey Sriracha Glaze
• Mini BLT Cups
• Spicy Harissa Hummus Platter
• Crispy Eggplant Fries with Chipotle Aioli

Mini BLT Tomato Cups

• Author: Kristen Stevens | The Endless Meal
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 24 bites 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: American

★★★★★

4.9 from 8 reviews

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Description

If you're looking for bite-sized appetizers for your next party, look no further. These Mini BLT Cups are as cute as they are delicious! Cherry tomatoes are stuffed with arugula and a little chipotle mayo then topped with a piece of crunchy bacon. They're a healthy gluten-free + paleo + Whole30 appetizer recipe that everyone will love!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Mini BLT Cups:

• 5 strips of bacon
• 24 cherry tomatoes
• 24 pieces of baby arugula

The Chipotle Mayo

• 3 tablespoons real mayonnaise (homemade for Whole30)
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or coco aminos
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Optional: 2-3 drops liquid smoke (see notes)

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Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a large pan over medium-high heat until crispy. Let the bacon cool slightly. When it is cool enough to handle, break 24 small pieces for the topping and crumble the rest.
2. While the bacon is cooking, hollow out the cherry tomatoes and make the mayo. Cut off the bottoms (they will sit on their tops) and carefully scoop/ shake out the insides with a small spoon.
3. Whisk all the mayo ingredients together in a small bowl. Transfer the mayo to a small resealable plastic bag and cut off the tip. Make the hole very small.
4. Tuck a piece of arugula into each cherry tomato. Spoon a little of the crumbled bacon inside then fill with the chipotle mayo and top with a piece of bacon.

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Notes

Adobo sauce is the sauce that comes in the jar when you buy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It's available in the Mexican section of most grocery stores. Sub chipotle powder for Whole30.

Bottles of liquid smoke are generally sold near BBQ sauces in most grocery stores. A bottle is very inexpensive and will last a long time. It adds a really nice smoky flavor to the mayo.