Whether you use the word grinder, sub or sandwich, it doesn't really matter. This Italian Grinder Salad is loaded with crunchy Romaine lettuce, sweet cherry tomatoes, red onion, peperoncini, salami and Provolone cheese. It's all tossed together in a creamy vinaigrette!
Personally, I never used the words grinder or sub to describe a sandwich. It seems like grinder is a very popular word and most people will search for this recipe using the word grinder. So... we're going with Grinder Salad today. 😂
This is another recipe inspired by the good old TikTok. I'm not sure who the original creator of this idea was. If you know, leave their name in the comments.
Why you'll love this Grinder Salad Recipe:
- Everything you love about a sandwich - Skip the bread and soak up all the goodness inside with this salad.
- Low in carbs - This salad only contains 7 grams of carbs per serving.
- Meal prep - This is a great salad to take to work. Be sure not to add the dressing until you are ready to eat!
- Customizable - Change up the ingredients based on what you enjoy!
Ingredients overview and substitutions:
- chopped Romaine lettuce - So much better than iceberg! You can also use Spring Mix or Arugula.
- halved cherry tomatoes - I like using cherry tomatoes because they are nice and sweet.
- sliced red onion - For that sharp and pungent flavor.
- sliced pepperoncini - You can swap these out for banana peppers or giardiniera if you'd like.
- sliced salami - I used an uncured salami from Applegate. You can also use soppressata.
- sliced Provolone cheese - You can swap this out for mozzarella pearls, shaved Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese.
- extra virgin olive oil, mayo, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and ground black pepper - This mixture makes the homemade grinder salad dressing.
How to make a Grinder Salad?
A complete list of ingredients, amounts and instructions is located on the recipe card below.
Step 1
Make the salad dressing. Combine extra virgin olive oil, mayo, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and ground black pepper in a small container.
Step 2
Prep all of the ingredients and measure them out.
Then, add the ingredients to a salad bowl, drizzle a desired amount of the dressing over the top, toss and serve!
Expert Tips:
- Wash and dry the lettuce well. You don't want a pool of water at the bottom of the salad bowl.
- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for the dressing. It makes such a big difference!
- Use thinly sliced salami - The big chunks take over the salad. It's not pleasant.
- If you don't want to skip the bread, make a Grinder Salad Sandwich! Sandwich the salad between two pieces of bread!
Storage Instructions:
- You can't store this Italian Grinder Salad after it's been dressed. It will become soggy.
- You can store the prepped salad and the dressing separately for 1-2 days in airtight containers in the fridge.
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Italian Grinder Salad (Chopped Sub Salad)
Ingredients
Ingredients in the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Ingredients in the salad:
- 8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup sliced red onion
- ¼ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ⅔ cup sliced salami
- ½ cup sliced Provolone cheese
Instructions
- Make the homemade creamy vinaigrette. Combine extra virgin olive oil, mayo, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and ground black pepper in a small container.
- Prep all of the ingredients and measure them out. Then, add the ingredients to a salad bowl, drizzle a desired amount of the dressing over the top, toss and serve!
This nutrition information is an estimate and should not be taken as fact. The owner of this website is not liable for this estimation.
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