Italian Subs with Giardiniera have turned into our family’s favorite sandwich and a perfect weeknight dinner to pair with oven fries or grilled or roasted veggies. The homemade giardiniera gives these subs its classic Italian flavor with just a quick marinade in oil and vinegar. Even my kids love them, although you can make the kid’s portion as plain and simple as you like, leaving out or using less of what they don’t like. You can even store a loaf of ciabatta in the freezer for an easy dinner to have on hand without much planning. All those colorful veggies are so delicious, giardiniera means “gardener” in Italian.
Italian Subs with Giardiniera
Ingredients
- 1/2 carrot shredded (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 mini bell pepper or 1/4 of a pepper, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 red or any onion, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 leaves fresh basil (optional) or 1/2 t Italian seasoning
- 2 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T olive oil
- 1/4 t salt
- 5 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 Ciabatta, sliced open in half
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 4 or 5 slices prosciutto
- 1 tomato, sliced
- lettuce, any type or mix
- 3-4 slices white cheese (white cheddar, provolone, havarti, swiss, muenster)
- mayo (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix shredded carrot, peppers, onion, vinegar, oil, herbs, salt and pepper, let marinate while you prepare everything else, or a few hours in the fridge is even better.
- Grill bread (or bake in the oven at 400 for 8 minutes) and side veggies (optional)
- Assemble sandwich with avocado, prosciutto, giardiniera mix–including the vinegar oil dressing in the bowl–as much of it as you like, tomato, lettuce and cheese, mayo if you like.
- Slice into triangles
- Serve with grilled veggies or any side
Italian Subs with Giardiniera