Italian Grinder Sub
Updated
Updated
Piled high with meats, cheese, and a tangy, irresistible grinder salad, this Italian Grinder Sandwich Recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s quick and easy to make and always a lunch (or party) favorite.
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5 STAR REVIEWS
This recipe is the perfect combination of two things – a classic Italian sub and the TikTok viral grinder salad. These Italian Grinder Salad Subs are a fantastic blend of salty, savory, and tangy. The grinder salad really makes the whole sandwich pop. Try my Chopped Italian Sandwich also!
Besides the addition of the grinder salad, this is the basic way to build an Italian sub for a crowd. I love to go all out with our party subs and use a lot of meat and different varieties. If you don’t want as much meat, then use half from the recipe. (But if you’re serving up a crowd, I recommend using all of it, even though it looks like a lot.)
Helpful Tips and Variations
- Italian bread. You’ll need a large, 16 ounce loaf of bread. You want something sturdy that can handle being piled high with meat and won’t get too soggy from the salad. I love using a crusty large Italian bread topped with sesame seeds for an extra layer of flavor.
- Cheese. Provolone adds a nice, mild flavor and pairs well with the Italian meats. Mozzarella, Swiss, Fontina, Muenster, or Gruyere work well too.
- Meats. This sub is piled high with ham, Sopprasetta, Genoa salami, and pepperoni. I recommend getting all of the meat directly from the deli and asking for “thinly sliced”. Prosciutto, mortadella, capcolla, and tavern ham are delicious options, as well.
- Pepperoncini peppers. The grinder salad is definitely the star of this sub. If you don’t like pepperoncini, you can sub with banana peppers or another pickled vegetable. This is what really gives a pop to the salad.
- Is this very salty? With all the cured meats and cheeses, this sandwich is on the salty side which is to be expected. But it is not overwhelming at all, the flavors blend very well together. The creamy-tanginess of the salad, combined with the crunchy lettuce just brings it all together.
Italian Grinder Sub
Ingredients
For the Sub
- 16 ounce Italian loaf of bread
- 1/2 pound medium sliced deli provolone cheese
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
- 1/4 pound thinly sliced deli Sopprasetta
- 1/4 pound thinly sliced deli Genoa salami
- 6 thinly sliced deli pepperoni
For the Grinder Salad
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini
- 1/4 medium red onion, , thinly sliced
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, , shredded
For Assembly
- 2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 beef steak tomato, , sliced
- drizzle of olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut the bread in half and place it on a sheet tray cut side up. Remove most of the inside of the bread leaving about 1/2-inch of the bread. Add half of the provolone to each side. Place in the oven until melted, about 5 minutes.
- Layer the ham over one half of the sub, and layer the soppressata on the other side.
- Top the ham with the salami. Top the soppressata with the pepperoni.
- Place back in the oven to heat the meats through and toast the bread, for 5 minutes.
- While the sub is baking, make the grinder salad.Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, pepper, oregano, chili flakes, and salt until combined.Add the pepperoncini and red onion, and stir around in the dressing until coated.Add the lettuce, and using tongs toss it in the dressing to coat. Set aside.
- Sprinkle the sub with 1/4 of the parmesan cheese. Add tomato slices. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add some of the grinder salad. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Add the top half of the sandwich over the bottom half (I like to press it down gently.)
- Cut into wedges and serve with more of the grinder salad on the side with chips for dipping!
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
And What’s the Difference Between a Grinder and a Sub?
A grinder is simply a sub that is heated, even if the toppings aren’t ones that are traditionally heated. The term is said to have originated in New England where a grinder refers to sandwiches with hot ingredients, like sausage or meatballs, and a sub or hoagie refers to ones with cold ingredients. An Italian grinder, for example, is simply an Italian hoagie made with cured meats and cheese that is popped in the oven.
Of course, the terms are sometimes used interchangeably or together, as is the case for today’s grinder sub or grinder sandwich.
Feel free to switch out meats and cheeses to your liking. I do recommend thinly slicing the meat and layering it in a “fluffy” way, it is more enjoyable to eat that way instead of just layers of meat packed on each other.
Serving Suggestions
Piled high with meat and topped with the salad, a grinder sandwich can make an easy and filling lunch on its own. Add some chips for a side and you’re good to go! Enjoy just after toasting in the oven for the best results! If you feel like adding a bit more, maybe some french fries, potato salad, or macaroni salad will do the trick.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers keep well in the fridge tightly wrapped with plastic wrap for 2 days. The lettuce will get
soggy but it is still good. You can eat the leftovers cold, still amazing. Do not freeze.
More Sandwich Recipes:
- Tuna Melt
- Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Reuben Sandwich
- Muffuletta Sandwich
- Shrimp Po Boy
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
I made this for my son and daughter-in-law, it was Fantabulous! It has been requested again this weekend.
Amazing! My husband loved it . I made it for Super Bowl and it was the first that was gone. Great flavor
This was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever made!!! It’s a household staple now. I make 2 subs for our family of 5 and it can last us for 2-3 times of eating!! The dressing is Devine and is now my go to for sandwiches!! Thank you so much!!!
Excellent Grinder! Both the sandwich and the side salad were spot on!
My husband HATES mayo, so I made this for myself one afternoon and it was amazing. It was so good, I thought he might like it despite the mayo. He loved it…he has requested I make these sandwiches for his co workers next time it’s his time to bring lunch! SOOOOOOOOO good! (I did add thin sliced turkey)
I broiled the bread a bit first, then added cheeses to both sides, broiled a bit more. Added the meats and baked.
After baked added parm, tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and salt, pepper then, of course the scrupcious salad mix, So great, Hubster loved it.
This was so delicious and easy to make!
Thought this was a great tasting sandwich!!! Will definitely make it again.
This is my absolute favorite recipe for grinders!! The salad is what makes this over the top, hands down! My family attacked the platter before I had a chance to take a photo, but they were beautiful!! Outstanding, chefs kiss!
Made this grinder sandwich it was the best I loved it so much I made it again two days later
I grew up having Italian grinders for lunch, even today as an adult I savor the deliciousness of an Italian grinder even for supper. The only thing we didn’t do was use mayonnaise in any form. We would fix the sliced tomatoes in bowl with salt, oregano, garlic cut up for flavor, and good olive oil or extra virgin olive oil, and maybe dash of red wine vinegar, toss. When you make the grinder you poured olive oil on both sides of the bread pressed them together then placed your cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes and placed lettuce on top dribbled the juice from the fixed tomatoes over the lettuce then put top piece of bread on and enjoyed every mouthful. If we had home made roasted red peppers fixed with olive oil and fresh garlic with salt, we put them in our grinder. WOW!