Italian Chopped Salad Sandwich

I love a great salad, especially in the summer! All that heat and humidity means I’m longing for something cool and refreshing; that doesn’t involve me turning on my oven.

Lately I’ve seen quite a few absolutely delicious-looking salad ideas on tiktok, and one that sparked my interest was the chopped salad sandwich.

It sounds a bit weird, to have a salad in a sandwich, but once you try it, you understand how it got as popular as it did on social media!

If you think about it, when you go out to dinner at a restaurant and get an entree salad, sometimes it comes with a breadstick.

So bread and salad have been good bedfellows for a while now, and this is just the next step!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Lettuce – I love the crunch and vibrant color of romaine lettuce, but please use your favorite.
• Ham – you can get some ham sliced at the deli, or pick up a container of pre-sliced ham.
• Salami – typically I use Genoa salami, but there are plenty of other types available.
• Pepperoni – I like the large pepperoni, but if all you have is the smaller pepperoni (like you would use for pizza), just use more.
• Provolone – if provolone isn’t your thing, mozzarella or swiss would be a good substitute.
• Tomatoes – some big beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes are my go-to!
• Red onion – if you’re worried about the onion having too much punch, you can soak the onions in some cold water for 5-10 minutes, then pat them dry. This mellows them out a bit.
• Banana peppers – you can use any heat level you prefer (I typically do mild or medium).
• Mayonnaise – this recipe was tested and developed with full fat mayo, but light would work well too.
• Red wine vinegar – this adds a wonderful tang to the dressing.
• Italian seasoning – you can use any brand you’d like (I usually use Mountain Rose Herbs or McCormick).
• Hoagie rolls – I prefer ones that are soft, yet sturdy enough to hold up to the salad.

How to make italian chopped salad sandwiches?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Chop. You can certainly chop everything separately, but I like to save time and chop it all together.
2. Get bite-sized pieces. I love to try to get the pieces small and evenly sized.
3. Make dressing. Just as with the salad, if you’d like to mix the dressing in a separate bowl, but I like to mix it all right in the salad.
4. Mix. Mix the dressing into the salad, until everything is creamy and coated.
5. Add to hoagie rolls. Divide the salad evenly into the rolls and serve.

Variations of this recipe

• Lettuce – you can use any lettuce you’d like. Although I do recommend a lettuce that has a good crunch to it, like romaine or iceburg.
• Spicy – if you love things with some heat, feel free to use spicy meats, spicy peppers, or add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the dressing.
• Toasted – sometimes I like a little crunch to my hoagie roll, so I add the hoagie roll, cut side down, on a hot skillet that has a little bit of oil or melted butter. Then let it cool, add the salad and serve.
• Other meats – you can use any of your favorite meats for this salad. Capicola, peppered salami, spicy pepperoni, and prosciutto are some of my favorites.
• More dressing – if you like your salad with more dressing on it, you can double all the dressing ingredients.

Making salad sandwiches ahead of time

I don’t recommend making this entirely ahead of time, as you don’t want the hoagies or lettuce to get soggy.

However, you can prep ahead so much of this recipe, so it won’t take long at all to whip up.

• Lettuce, meat, and cheese – chop the romaine, ham, salami, pepperoni, and provolone, then store in the refrigerator for a day or so.
• Tomatoes, onion, and peppers – chop the tomatoes, onion, and banana peppers, then store in the refrigerator in a separate container.
• Dressing – the dressing can be made and stored in a separate container in the refrigerator.

Storage

Leftover salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or so.

Just know that the longer it sits, the dressing will get a bit more runny, and the lettuce will be somewhat soggy.