Italian Grinder Salad (Chopped Sub Salad)

This Italian Grinder Salad is a low-carbs alternative to the TikTok viral grinder sandwich! This vibrant salad combines crunchy lettuce, flavorful deli meats, provolone and Parmesan cheese, and a creamy, acidic dressing to create an appealing combination of textures and sensations.

So skip the carbs and try this super-easy chopped salad instead! If you're seeking for even more delicious low carbs meals, I recommend trying out my Ranch Pasta Salad, Spicy Diavola Pizza Recipe With Hot Salami, and Homemade French Bread Pizza In The Air Fryer.

Jump to:

• What is Grinder Salad?
• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Salad Ingredients
• Salad Dressing Ingredients
• Equipment Needed
• How To Make This Recipe
• Recipe Variations
• Expert Tips
• How To Store Grinder Slaw Salad
• Frequently asked questions
• More Delicious and Easy Recipes
• Recipe
• Italian Grinder Salad (Chopped Sub Salad)
• 💬 Comments

What is Grinder Salad?

Over the past few years, if you've been using TikTok or any other social media platform, you've probably seen some variation—or a ton of variations—of the grinder salad sandwich on your feed. With good cause, this recipe has gone viral!

The social media phenomenon is similar to any traditional grinder. My variation is grilled in the oven and stuffed with deli meats and sliced cheese. which produces crispy cured meats and melty, delectable provolone. The sandwich is topped with a creamy, zesty, and tangy salad, which is what really sets it apart! It resembles a coleslaw composed of sliced red onion, jarred banana peppers, and shredded crunchy lettuce.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

In addition to being a creative and entertaining deconstructed take on the well-known Italian grinder sandwich, this recipe is also:

• Customizable: This salad's ability to be altered is maybe my favorite feature! Any type of cheese, meat, vegetable, or seasoning can be included. It is almost a given that it will turn out delicious!
• Flavorful: This is one of the tastiest salads I've ever had, I'm not lying. You get all the flavors and tastes you need for a filling dinner with the salty meats, savory cheeses, fresh veggies, and—above all—the creamy, tangy dressing.
• Simple To Make: This recipe only calls for chopping the salad ingredients and combining the dressing. For me, a recipe's ease of use is always a selling point. Check out this viral veggie chopper if you want to make things even simpler.
• Adorably Low Carb: I rarely eat a low-carbs meal without feeling a slight want for carbohydrates. But with this salad, I really don't! If you are on a gluten-free diet or are trying to lose weight, this is a great method to sate your sandwich appetite.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This Italian grinder salad is loaded with tasty ingredients! Salty deli meats, crisp shredded lettuce, sharp cheese, tangy banana peppers, and a delectable creamy dressing make for a terrific salad that will keep everyone coming back for more.

It's like the finest sub sandwich without the hoagie roll! Now, let's get into the details.

Salad Ingredients

• Pepperoni & Salami: The iconic Italian meat combo of salami and pepperoni provides a delicious peppery, smoky, and salty flavor to this salad.
• Turkey: Turkey provides some additional lean protein!
• Provolone and Parmesan cheese are two great, robust Italian cheeses that provide a wonderful umami, salty flavor to this sub salad recipe. You will chop the provolone and grate the Parmesan! I love how the grated cheese adds cheesy flavor to each bite of this substantial salad.
• Iceberg lettuce makes a great base for this salad! The crispy lettuce adds both freshness and sharpness.
• Tomatoes: Unlike regular grinder sandwiches, which have tomato slices, this salad uses grape tomatoes. Or cherry tomatoes! The ideal crimson, juicy, poppable bits.
• Red onion is a vital component of any Italian grinder sandwich, in my opinion. As a result, they are also vital to this salad! I just enjoy the robust, slightly spicy flavor. Pro Tip: Soak the chopped raw red onions in water for 10-15 minutes before adding them to the salad to reduce the spice and make the flavor more appealing.
• Banana peppers provide a lovely acidic, somewhat sweet flavor. It's very delicious! You may use pepperoncini peppers instead; while they are not identical, they are very similar.

Salad Dressing Ingredients

• Mayonnaise serves as the foundation for this creamy grinder salad dressing. I use light mayo to make things a little healthier.
• Vinegar provides depth, complexity, and a delightful tang. I recommend increasing it to your liking.
• Banana Pepper Juice: A little juice from the jar of banana peppers provides extra tang.
• Seasonings: This creamy mayonnaise dressing is simply seasoned with garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. There isn't much else required to make this salad amazing!

Equipment Needed

• Using a chef knife
• Cutting board
• Large bowl for salads or mixing
• Small bowl for mixing
• whisk
• Salad tongs
• Salad spinner
• Veggie Chopper

How To Make This Recipe

Making this recipe is really simple! It merely needs to be prepped by chopping and combining the dressing. No oven, no stove, no cooking at all!

1. Step 1: Include the salad components. In a large mixing bowl, first combine the turkey, provolone cheese, Parmesan cheese, salami, pepperoni, iceberg lettuce, red onion, banana peppers, and grape tomatoes.

2. Step 2: Get the dressing ready. Next, mix the mayo, vinegar, banana pepper juice, oregano, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl or container until smooth. Add as much black pepper as you like.

3. Step 3: Get dressed and put together. Drizzle the lettuce mixture with the dressing. Mix the salad until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

4. Step 4: Present and savor!

Recipe Variations

This chopped grinder salad is delicious just the way it is! It's really delicious. Imagine a delicious low-carbs dinner made with all of your favorite sandwich fixings. It's AMAZING!

You won't even miss the Italian bread that usually contains these treats because it is so delicious.

Nevertheless, you can always add things, change things, and alter it to suit your own interests or preferences. These are all my delicious suggestions:

• Meats: The main component in this recipe is cold meats! which, as a deli meat enthusiast at heart, I absolutely like. Here, I use salami, pepperoni, and turkey. However, any of your favorites might work. Maybe chicken or roast beef.
• Cheeses: You could use any type of cheese in place of the provolone in this salad. Use your preferred method! American cheese, cheddar cheese, Colby Jack cheese, or Swiss cheese. It's a little more difficult to replace Parmesan! It might be substituted with Pecorino Romano, but not much else.
• Lettuce: After iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce would be the next best choice for this recipe. It still has the crispness and crunch that are essential to a chopped salad! However, these two aren't the healthiest. Add more spinach, kale, mixed greens, or even shredded Brussels sprouts to your salad base if you want to get a little more out of it.
• Seasoning: Use red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and other ingredients to give your salad a little more spiciness and taste.
• No Mayo: Do you dislike mayo? Even though I disagree with you, I can relate to you. You can still eat this salad, too. I would suggest adding olive oil to make a dressing that is more akin to vinegar and oil. This is an easy recipe for Italian dressing! Replace the mayo with Greek yogurt if you still want that creamy texture.
• Pasta salad: It would be simple to make a grinder pasta salad out of this chopped salad. How tasty would that be? Simply add your preferred pasta form and savor it.
• Add Carbs: I really like that this salad is carbs-free. I appreciate that I can still enjoy the flavors and textures of an Italian sub in a lighter, low-carbs approach. Feel free to include some carbohydrates, though. I recommend some toasted Panko breadcrumbs or croutons. Or pasta from above, of course!
• Alternate Sub: Make your favorite sub into a salad if you're not a fan of the traditional Italian grinder sandwich. similar to an American sub.

Expert Tips

• Before serving, dress this grinder sub salad right away! I wouldn't advise making this salad completely in advance because it will get a little soggy after it is prepared. Just keep the chopped ingredients and dressing alone and mix them together when serving.
• Cut everything into little pieces! Salads that are chopped are better. There's no way you can persuade me otherwise! You should try my Mediterranean Chopped Salad if you agree. In any case, I strongly advise slicing the cheese, various meats, lettuce, and vegetables as finely as possible. Since this recipe merely calls for chopping, you might as well put in the time to do it effectively. You won't be sorry!
• Prepare your meals! This salad is a great way to prepare meals. Deli meats are the epitome of lunch, after all. As previously said, I advise chopping the salad components and making the dressing in advance. After that, keep it in the fridge for a week. You can put together a salad at any time you're hungry! Alternately, divide the chopped salad into separate containers in advance and include a tiny jar of dressing. After that, you can just grab and go and leave for work or school!

How To Store Grinder Slaw Salad

This prepared salad can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container. The salad will become sloppy when stored, so proceed with caution. It will only keep for one or two days at its best!

While I don't mind the remaining dressed salad being a little wet, I would advise keeping the ingredients apart if you do. Put the prepared dressing in one container and the chopped and mixed salad in another. Then simply mix as necessary.

Frequently asked questions

If you tried this Italian Grinder Salad (Chopped Sub Salad) or any other recipe on my website, please feel free to leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. And remember to tag me on Instagram!

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