The Best Italian Grinder Salad Recipe (aka easy chopped sub)

You are going to love this Italian grinder salad recipe. This quick and easy version of the classic Italian sub sandwich is full of flavour and is so easy to make. This meal salad has gone viral on TikTok for good reason - it's so delicious!

Table of Contents

• Why you will love this recipe:
• Key ingredients and substitutions:
• How to make:
• Top tip:
• Variations and add ins:
• How to serve:
• How to store:
• Frequently asked questions:
• Other recipes you will love:
• Recipe

Why you will love this recipe:

• The flavour! This salad has all the amazing flavors of a classic Italian grinder sub sandwich, but with a fresh and vibrant twist that your taste buds will love. It's no wonder this has become a viral recipe on Tik Tok and social media.
• It's quick and easy to make with simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store including iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, salami and ham.
• This healthy salad makes a great meal and is a great option for busy weeknight meals.
• The creamy dressing takes this loaded salad to the next level. It has the most incredible flavour - a little sweet, a little tangy and totally smooth and creamy!
• This grinder sub salad is gluten-free and can easily be made dairy free be simply omitting the cheese or using your favorite dairy-free cheeses.
• The homemade dressing on this salad can be used to make other salads too! It's so darn good.
• It's the perfect summer salad to serve at picnics, barbecues, tailgates, parties or anytime.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

You should be able to find all of these simple ingredients at your local grocery store. For the exact measurements refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Iceberg lettuce - iceberg lettuce forms the base of this delicious salad. You could easily use other types of crunchy lettuce such as romaine lettuce or even cabbage if you prefer. 
• Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes- these little tomatoes add a nice touch of sweetness and a beautiful red color to this salad recipe. If you don't have cherry tomatoes you could also use tomato slices instead.
• Pepperoncini peppers or serrano peppers - these banana peppers add a little heat to the salad to give it that extra bit of punch. If you don't like spicy food you can simply omit this from the recipe or reduce the amount you use. If you don't like spicy things you could swap these for sweet bell peppers instead.
• Salami - a classic Italian deli meat, salami helps add protein to this chopped salad. You could swap this for other Italian meats or savory deli meats. 
• Prosciutto or ham - another deli meat that is used to add even more flavour and protein to this hearty salad.
• Provolone cheese - cheese adds even more flavour and helps makes this an even more hearty salad. You could swap this for other types of cheese such as Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, feta cheese or mozzarella cheese. 
• Mayonnaise - this is used to help make the creamy Italian dressing that tops this delicious grinder salad. You can use either homemade mayonnaise to make this creamy mayo based dressing or your favorite store bought mayonnaise. 
• Red wine vinegar - tangy red wine vinegar helps make the most amazing dressing for this tasty grinder salad. 
• Dijon mustard - this helps add even more flavour to the creamy salad dressing that tops this delicious colourful salad.
• Maple syrup - to add the perfect amount of sweetness to the delicious creamy dressing while keeping it refined sugar free. 
• Spices: sea salt, ground black pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder are all you need to complete the tangy dressing for this colorful salad.

How to make:

Step one:

First, add the shredded lettuce and the other salad ingredients to a large bowl.

Step two:

Then place all the dressing ingredients into a large jar or mixing cup and stir or shake it well until the dressing is smooth and creamy.

Step three:

Now pour the dressing over the salad. 

Step four:

Lastly, mix everything well until the salad ingredients are evenly coated in the dressing. Then enjoy!

Variations and add ins:

• To make this salad dairy free: simply omit the cheese. You could also use a lactose free cheese instead of you are lactose intolerant.
• Feel free to add other ingredients to this salad - some of my favorite additions include chopped cucumber, pickles, sauerkraut, and hemp seeds or hemp hearts.
• You could easily change the deli meats used in this salad to use up whatever you have in the fridge.
• If you don't like spicy ingredients omit the peppers from the recipe.
• If you love cheese you can top this salad with some shaved parmesan cheese. 
• For even more heat add some red pepper flakes to the dressing.
• You could turn this into an Italian grinder pasta salad by adding some cooked noodles to it.
• Feel free to change up the dressing on this salad. I also love using my dill pickle salad dressing.

How to serve:

This salad is best served right after it's prepared. If the dressing is left on the salad too long the lettuce will get soggy and wilted. If you want to prepare this salad ahead of time I recommend assembling the salad and storing it until you are ready to serve and then adding the dressing right before serving.

How to store:

If you want to store this salad for later I recommend preparing the salad without the dressing and storing it in an airtight container overnight. Then add the dressing when you are ready to serve.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• Asian cucumber salad
• Healthy broccoli salad
• Healthy Asian coleslaw
• Kale and apple salad
• Healthy potato salad

Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star rating before you go!

Recipe