I am way behind on trying out the viral Italian Grinder Salad recipe from social media, but as I was racking my brain for a new salad to bring to the blog and my meal preps this year, I finally stumbled on this idea. Let me tell you, it’s sooo tasty and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out for so long! This is one of those salads where the way you chop everything up really matters – you want to be able to get as many of the toppings in one bite as you can. If things are chopped up too large, you can’t do that.
Depending where you’re from, a grinder sandwich might not be familiar to you. It’s basically the same thing as a sub, hoagie, or hero. Sure, there are slight differences, but at the end of the day, it’s a sandwich made on a long roll and stuffed with yummy meats, cheeses, and other toppings. Every region has their preferred term, but as far as I can tell, they all have an “Italian” version of it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Italian Grinder Salad recipe:
- Lettuce – I opted for a mix of iceberg and romaine hearts to get a good mix of crunch and greens. You can pick one or use both like I did.
- Deli turkey – Most of the grinder salad recipes call for ham, but since I was meal prepping this, I wanted one of the meats to be less salty and higher in protein.
- Salami – Go for the bigger sliced deli version of salami, not the hard sausages. I used uncured Genoa salami.
- Pepperoni – I opted for turkey pepperoni for a little less fat content, but regular works too.
- Provolone cheese – Provolone works great here because it’s just funky enough for the flavor to stand up to the cured meats in this salad. Skip the ultra thin sliced stuff and find some that’s sliced nice and thick.
- Banana peppers – Find these in the pickle section of the store. You could use pepperoncinis instead, but I like the snappy brightness of the banana peppers a little better for this salad.
- Cherry tomatoes – Quartered cherry tomatoes or Roma tomatoes chopped to less than 1/2″ cubes will work.
- Red onion – Be sure to dice it up small so it doesn’t overpower the salad. Just skip it if you don’t like red onion.
For the dressing, you’ll need a few more ingredients. I highly recommend making this yourself instead of going out to buy some bottled creamy Italian dressing – this is a pretty specific type of creamy dressing that’s heavy on the mayo and perfect for the grinder salad to evoke the flavors and texture of its namesake sandwich.
- Mayo – My favorite is Duke’s Light Mayonnaise and I highly recommend it for this recipe! I would not recommend using a mayo substitute like Miracle Whip.
- Banana pepper liquid – Yep, the stuff out of the jar of banana peppers that you opened for this! It’s bright and vinegar-y, but is perfect for the dressing since it reinforces those flavors between the salad and the dressing.
- Parmesan cheese – You could also use something a little funkier like Parmigiano Reggiano if you prefer.
- Red wine vinegar – helps round out the acidity from the banana pepper liquid. Apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar would work fine here too.
- Herbs – I opted for individual dried herbs since I had them on hand, but a pre-mixed Italian herb seasoning like this would work fine too.
- Spices – I also included some red pepper flakes to give this salad a little spicy kick that makes sense for a grinder! Skip if you must, but I loved the extra kick.
tips for
Meal Prepping this Salad
I recommend doing a “buffet style” meal prep for this salad since there are so many toppings involved. Dividing each ingredient into their own containers and assembling them into a salad just before serving will ensure maximum freshness and avoid letting the cheese or meat get soggy/slimy.
If you do want to divvy up the ingredients into salad containers ahead of time, I recommend a bigger salad prep container like this to allow plenty of room for the toppings to spread out. Even then, do your best to avoid having the cheese touch any other ingredients! The meats are okay to touch one another, as are the non-lettuce veggies.
Shop for This Recipe
Italian Grinder Salad
Ingredients
- 6 slices Hormel Natural Choice Deli Turkey, chopped, 4 oz
- 4 slices provolone cheese, chopped, 4 oz
- 4 slices Wegmans Uncured Genoa Salami, chopped, 2 oz
- 12 slices Hormel Turkey Pepperoni, sliced, 21 grams
- 2 heads romaine hearts, shredded
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1/2 cup banana peppers, chopped, (62 grams)
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced, (65 grams)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered, (180 grams)
Creamy Italian Dressing
- 6 tbsp Duke's Light Mayonnaise, 3 fl oz
- 2 tbsp banana pepper liquid, 1 fl oz
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/4 fl oz
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp each: garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, dried parsley
- 1/8 tsp each: red pepper flakes, black pepper
Instructions
- Add all dressing ingredients to a small mason jar and shake until completely combined. Set aside.
- Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss with dressing. Serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
Salad with Dressing
Salad Only (no Dressing)
Dressing Only
