Description
Zesty Italian Grinder Salad Sandwich – A fresh, deconstructed delight. Perfect for quick lunches or easy weeknight dinners, packed with flavor!
Ingredients
Scale
- Salad Base:
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup banana peppers or pepperoncini, sliced
- Grinder Fillings:
- 4 oz provolone cheese, thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
- 3 oz pepperoni, thinly sliced and chopped
- 3 oz genoa salami, thinly sliced and chopped
- 2 oz deli ham, thinly sliced and chopped
- Zesty Dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- Optional Extras:
- Red pepper flakes, for a kick
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Prep Your Veggies:: First up, grab your romaine. Give it a good wash and a rough chop – remember my massive leaf incident! You want nice, bite-sized pieces. Then, thinly slice your red onion. If you’re sensitive to onion bite, pop those slices into a bowl of ice water while you prep everything else. It honestly mellows them out so much. Halve those cherry tomatoes too; they’re little flavor bombs!
- Chop the Meats & Cheese:: Next, let’s get those deli meats and provolone ready. Lay out your pepperoni, salami, and ham, then stack them up and cut them into strips, then into smaller bite-sized pieces. You want a good mix of everything in each forkful of your Italian Grinder Salad Sandwich. For the provolone, slice it thin, then cut into little squares or triangles. This step makes sure every bite is loaded with flavor, and trust me, you don’t want to miss out on any of those savory bits.
- Whip Up the Zesty Dressing:: Now for the star of the show, the dressing! In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, garlic powder, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Taste it! Does it need more tang? More garlic? This is your moment to adjust it. I always add a tiny splash more vinegar because I love that zesty kick in my Italian Grinder Salad Sandwich.
- Combine for Grinder Salad Perfection:: In a large bowl, combine your chopped romaine, red onion, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, and the chopped deli meats and cheese. This is where it starts to look like something truly special, hon! Don’t be shy about getting in there with your hands (clean ones, of course!) to gently toss everything together. You want a good distribution of all those amazing textures and colors.
- Dress It Up:: Pour your homemade zesty dressing over the salad ingredients. Now, toss it all together again! Really get in there and make sure every single piece of lettuce and every bit of meat and cheese is coated in that creamy, tangy dressing. This is crucial for that authentic Italian Grinder Salad Sandwich experience. You want uniform flavor, trust me on this one!
- Serve and Enjoy!:: Serve your Italian Grinder Salad Sandwich immediately! It’s best when the lettuce is still crisp and the dressing hasn’t had too long to sit. You’ll see all those vibrant colors, smell the oregano and garlic, and honestly, the first bite is just pure joy. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for an extra kick, but that’s just Mama Tessa’s flair!