Chopped Italian Grinder (Print Version)

A flavorful Italian grinder stacked with meats, cheese, and fresh veggies on a toasted roll.

# Components:

→ Meats

01 - 3.5 oz diced salami
02 - 3.5 oz diced pepperoni
03 - 3.5 oz diced ham (optional)

→ Cheeses

04 - 4.2 oz provolone cheese, diced or shredded

→ Vegetables

05 - 2 cups finely chopped iceberg lettuce
06 - 1 medium tomato, diced
07 - 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
08 - 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini (optional)

→ Dressing

09 - 1/3 cup Italian dressing

→ Bread

10 - 4 hoagie rolls or sub rolls, split lengthwise
11 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter (optional, for toasting)

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F or heat a large skillet over medium heat.
02 - Combine diced salami, pepperoni, ham (if used), provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pepperoncini in a large bowl.
03 - Pour Italian dressing over the mixture and toss to coat evenly.
04 - Lightly butter the inside of each hoagie roll, if desired, then toast in oven or skillet until golden and crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes.
05 - Fill each toasted roll generously with the chopped meat and vegetable mixture.
06 - Serve immediately, optionally with extra Italian dressing or hot sauce.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Every bite feels substantial and craveable, like you're eating something that actually took effort to make.
  • There's no real cooking involved, just chopping and assembling, which means you can pull this together faster than ordering out.
  • It's endlessly flexible, so you can adapt it based on what's in your fridge and what you're craving that day.
02 -
  • Toast your rolls or they'll fall apart in your hands, which sounds dramatic but has happened to me more times than I care to admit.
  • Assemble these as close to serving as possible because the bread will eventually get soggy if the dressing sits too long, especially if your tomato was particularly juicy.
03 -
  • Shredding the provolone instead of dicing it helps it melt slightly into the warm bread and distribute more evenly throughout.
  • Drain your diced tomato on paper towels for a minute before adding it to the mixture if you know your tomatoes run wet, which saves you from a soggy situation.
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