Making homemade Italian Grinder Sandwiches is one of our easiest and favorite weeknight dinners! Italian deli meats and melty provolone are piled high on toasted hoagie buns, spread with mayo, and topped with lettuce, peppers, and onions dressed in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a few shakes of dried oregano. Ready in 25 minutes, that creamy-sharp vinegary combo feels like take-out, but is even better made at home!
- Versatile and Customizable! - We love dressing these Italian Grinder Sub Sandwiches up with all the fixings, but they are also easy to keep more on the plain side, maybe for the kids. You can use your favorite deli meats and swap the peppers and onions any way you like.
- Any Occasion! - Grinder sandwiches are perfect to feed a crowd, great for game day, but easy enough for weeknights with extra deli meat making great lunches all week!
- Love Easy Weeknight Dinners? Try my Spicy Rigatoni with Meat Sauce and these Blackened Chicken Tacos!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
A simple sandwich of Italian deli meats and cheese with the most delicious vinegar and oil dressed salad topping, you'll want to make these again and again!
- Hoagie Buns - Finding the perfect bread really makes or breaks a sandwich! You want a hoagie bun that is soft but sturdy enough to hold all that drippy messy filling. One large loaf of Italian bread, like Ciabatta, Focaccia, or even a baguette are alternatives that would work.
- Cheese - Provolone is the perfect melty white Italian cheese, but you could also use Havarti, mozzarella, white cheddar or something similar.
- Italian Deli Meats - Go for at least 3 meats and ask for them thinly sliced at the deli counter. I like to start with something basic and not necessarily Italian, like ham or turkey, almost as the "filler." Then add something Italian, I love Capicola and prosciutto. Other options would be any type of salami, Sopressata or large pepperoni.
- Lettuce and Tomato - Choose a crisp and crunchy lettuce like Romaine or iceberg and slice it in thin strips, almost shredded.
- Options for the Peppers - This is where you really have some options. Most often, grinder sandwiches use jarred pepperoncinis. These are a fairly spicy yellowish pickled pepper. If you like that tangy heat, go ahead and use them. Not everyone likes it, so there are lots of milder options. You can use another jarred pepper like banana peppers, roasted red bell peppers, or a mixed giardiniera. You can also swap or add in a few thin slices of fresh red bell peppers. A few sharp red onion slices pair well with any type of peppers you choose.
- Mayonnaise - I think mayo is really important to this sandwich because it balances the sharp vinegar with a creamy component. I've often seen the lettuce dressed with olive oil, vinegar and the mayo, making it a creamy salad. You can do it this way if you like, but not everyone in my family likes mayo, so I like to just spread it on the bun. It still gives you that creamy vinegary element, but it's easy to leave off if someone doesn't want it.
- Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Parmesan Cheese & Oregano - This is the simple dressing that gives the Italian Grinder Sandwich its unique flavor! I like to toss the lettuce, onions and peppers in a bowl with the dressing to coat everything. The shredded Parmesan gives it a little more creaminess, and the big hoagie buns soak up all that delicious flavor.
See recipe card below for full quantities.
Instructions
Easy to make in less than 30 minutes, these subs are built in layers and then topped with the dressed grinder lettuce salad.
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 350° and add the cheese to the hoagie buns.
Bake for about 10 minutes.
Step 2 - While the buns toast, prep the lettuce and veggies.
Slice the lettuce thin, almost shredded.
Step 3 - Toss the lettuce, onion and whatever peppers you are using in a bowl with the Parmesan cheese, olive oil, red wine vinegar and dried oregano.
Step 4 - Remove the buns from the oven when they are toasted and melty.
Step 5 - Generously add the 3 different deli meats.
Step 6 - Add slices of tomato and then pile on the dressed lettuce mix.
Spread the hoagie buns with mayonnaise.
Step 7 - Slice the sandwiches in half, and serve! They should be a little drippy and messy!
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Slice the Peppers thinly - No matter what type of peppers you use, make sure to slice them thin, along with the onions so they don't overpower the sandwich. You can make grinder sandwiches with fresh peppers, or any kind of jarred peppers or giardiniera mix that you like.
- Choosing the Right Bread - Sometimes finding just the right bread can be the tricky part. A lot of options will work, so you just have to see what looks best at the store. I love big soft hoagie buns, the same ones we use for Meatball Subs. If you can't find anything like that (not all store have them), you can use one large crusty loaf like an Italian or French bread or sub roll that has a soft interior but is sturdy enough to not fall apart and get too soggy. Even focaccia or a baguette or something similar would be nice variations.
- Storage - Extra sandwiches that are dressed and assembled can be refrigerated and eaten the next day. Extra deli meat and toppings can be used to make sandwiches all week.
Recipe FAQs
Grinders are best made fresh, with the warm toasted buns and melted cheese meeting the cold meats and lettuce. However, cold leftovers the next day are plenty delicious! If you want to prep things ahead, you can slice and prep the veggies, then toast the buns and assemble just before serving.
I think it's best to buy deli meat from the deli counter so it can be freshly sliced and sliced very thin. The Italian meats are often expensive per pound, but when thinly sliced, you really don't need that much. Ask them not to put paper in between each slice, no need to pay for the weight of extra paper. The pre-packaged Italian meats are fine too, but are often overpriced when you compare the actual amounts to the deli counter.
I like to go simple and serve grinders with kettle chips and maybe a pickle! You could also add any soup, salad, or basic vegetable like this Arugula Orzo Pasta Salad or these Roasted Potatoes with Broccoli.
More Favorite Sandwich Nights!
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Italian Grinder Sandwich
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 4 hoagie buns
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- ½ pound deli ham thinly sliced
- ⅓ pound Capicola thinly sliced
- ¼ pound prosciutto thinly sliced
- 1 tomato sliced
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 4 cups romaine lettuce thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup red bell pepper, pepperoncini peppers, banana peppers, or giardiniera sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated or shredded
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Slice open the hoagie buns, add 2 slices of Provolone to each, and bake on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes.
- While the bread bakes, add the lettuce, onions, whatever peppers you're using, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano to a bowl and toss well with tongs.
- When the buns are toasted and the cheese is melted, remove from the oven and arrange each bun with the 3 deli meats.
- Spread each bun with mayo, add tomatoes and the dressed lettuce mixture.
- Slice each sandwich and serve.
Notes
- Deli Meats - Choose 3 deli meats such as turkey or ham, along with prosciutto, Capicola, Soppressata, salami, or pepperoni, and ask for it thinly sliced at the deli counter. The weights given are approximate, you may want to ask for about 16 slices of each Italian meat, about 4 slices per bun. Leftover deli meats make great sandwiches all week so don't worry about getting a little extra!
- Bread - You can use hoagie buns or one large Italian or French loaf. Choose something soft but sturdy that won't get soggy.
- Peppers - Grinders traditionally have some type of jarred pickled peppers like pepperoncini. These are a bit spicy and not everyone likes them, so this can be adapted to everyones taste. You can leave them out, use a few slices of fresh red bell peppers, or use any type of jarred banana peppers, roasted red peppers, or giardiniera. You can choose to toss the peppers with the lettuce, or let everyone add their own at the end.
- Mayo - You can choose to toss the mayo with the lettuce mixture to make it creamy, or just add it to each bun. I like to be able to add it to each sandwich, because we have some non-mayo fans in our family!
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