This grinder salad is a lightened-up take on the viral Tiktok Italian grinder sandwich. It’s made with shredded iceberg lettuce tossed with ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone, pepper, onion, and croutons and finished off with a tangy red wine vinegar and mayonnaise dressing. This mouthwatering salad takes just a few minutes to come together and will be a total hit at the dinner table!
Italian Grinder Salad – The EASY Way!
This Italian Grinder Salad will turn everyone into a salad lover. It’s packed with salty deli meat, provolone cheese, fresh and pickled veggies, and a creamy, flavorful, tangy dressing.
Now, this recipe was inspired by the Tiktok sensation sandwich, the grinder salad sandwich. I’ve taken all of the flavors traditional to the sub sandwich and made it in salad form instead for a lightened up version.
Don’t worry. You still get the flavor of the bread by topping the salad off with some crunchy croutons! If you prefer the sandwich version though I have the Italian grinder sandwich recipe here. My Italian Grinder Sliders are also a major crowd favorite – probably because they’re bite sized!
This salad is so hearty and tasty. It’s a recipe you’ll be making again and again! Trust me. There’s a reason the sandwich was viral!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Simple and quick. This tasty salad comes together in a matter of minutes.
- Customizable. We use the traditional flavors of the classic sub, but this recipe can be customized to fit your tastes. Feel free to add or omit ingredients as you like.
- So much flavor. Salty meat, tangy veggies, seasoned croutons, and a creamy and tangy dressing? You can’t really get much more flavor than that!
Recipe Notes
This grinder salad recipe is as simple as promised! Just a few quick minutes for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I for how to make a grinder salad to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Grinder Salad Ingredients + Substitutions
- Dressing – Our grinder salad dressing recipe is a creamy, tangy dressing made with mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, garlic, sugar, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
The dressing as-is is pretty darn tangy. If it’s a little bit too tangy for your tastes, feel free to add a little bit more sugar. - Lettuce – You’ll need 16 ounces of shredded iceberg lettuce for this recipe. You can shred your own iceberg lettuce or grab a bag of pre-shredded lettuce at the store.
- Meat – This meat lovers’ salad features a combination of ham, pepperoni, and salami. Feel free to stick to the meats listed or use any other deli meats that sound good to you! Try prosciutto, capicola, turkey, you name it.
- Cheese – I use pre-sliced provolone cheese that I slice into bite sized pieces. You can slice it yourself or get it cut at the deli counter with the rest of the meat. You can also try a different cheese entirely. This salad would be excellent with smoked cheddar, mozzarella, or gruyere.
- Grape Tomatoes – Sliced in half to create bite-sized chunks.
- Croutons – I like to use croutons to give the salad the feel and flavor of the classic sandwich. You can use store-bought croutons or find a recipe to make your own.
- Pepperoncini Peppers – I love the tangy flavor of pepperoncini peppers paired with the salty meat. If you can’t find pepperoncini peppers, you can swap them out for banana peppers.
- Red Onion – You’ll need 1/2 of a red onion for this recipe. Be sure to dice it up into small pieces so that it incorporates well into the rest of the salad.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make this Grinder Salad.
Start with a bed of shredded lettuce in a large bowl.
Next, combine the shredded lettuce with all salad ingredients.
If serving immediately, pour dressing over the salad.
Toss everything together until evenly coated.
Recipe Tips
- Chop everything small. Since the lettuce is shredded, I like to make sure all of the mix-ins are cut into bite-sized pieces as well. I recommend cutting the meat into 1/4-inch slices, slicing the provolone into bite-sized pieces, slicing the peppers, halving the tomatoes, and dicing the red onion. That way all of the flavors and textures blend well all together.
- Serve immediately. Once the dressing is added, this salad is best served right away. The longer it sits, the soggier the ingredients will get.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Buy pre-shredded lettuce – While slicing your own is a great option, you can buy bags of pre-shredded iceberg lettuce at the store. This will save you a good chunk of time with salad prep.
- Get your meat and cheese sliced at the deli counter– You can do this when you’re at the store buying your grinder salad ingredients. That way everything is prepped and ready to go when you’re ready to make your salad.
- Pre-make your dressing – Homemade salad dressing can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To get ahead, make your dressing in advance so you have it on hand when you’re assembling your salad.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Italian Grinder Salad Sandwich – Simply assemble the salad as directed, but skip the croutons. Instead, add everything onto a loaf of Italian bread to make the classic sandwich.
- Low Carb Grinder Salad – The salad is already a low-carb option, but if you want to make it even lower carb, you can just leave off the croutons.
What to Serve with an Italian Grinder Salad
While this hearty salad is plenty filling and delicious on its own, you can absolutely whip up a side dish to pair it with. My favorite side is probably my Tuscan Tomato Tortellini Soup because it sticks with the Italian theme. Here are a few easy and tasty options:
Side Dish Ideas
- Pesto Cheese Bread – Enjoy a deconstructed grinder salad “sandwich” with a couple slices of this pesto cheese bread.
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes – You can never go wrong with a classic baked potato to round out your meal.
- Meatballs Parmesan – If you want something hearty, nothing beats these delicious meatballs!
- Chips- Whatever kind you like
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner.
Grinder Salad Leftovers
Once the grinder salad dressing has been tossed with the salad, it won’t save well. If you anticipate having extra, add the salad dressing only to the portion that you plan on heating. Save the rest of the salad without the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can store the salad dressing separately in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Meal Prep Option
This Tiktok grinder salad makes an excellent meal prep option! I love to make mason jar salads to store in the fridge for lunches all week long. They can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.
When prepping your mason jar salads, the key is to layer the ingredients from wettest to driest. Here’s the order I recommend layering your salad, from the bottom up:
- Veggies (peppers, onion, and tomato)
- Lettuce
- Meat and cheese
- Croutons
I recommend storing the dressing totally separately, then adding it to your salad just before serving. The
More EASY Salad Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my salad recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Blackened Chicken Salad
- Antipasto Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Classic Steakhouse Wedge Salad
- La Scala Salad
- Italian Grinder Pasta Salad
Grinder Salad
Ingredients
For the grinder salad dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
For the grinder salad
- 16 ounces shredded iceberg lettuce, (about 8 cups)
- 4 ounces ham
- 4 ounces pepperoni
- 4 ounces salami
- 4 ounces provolone cheese
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup croutons
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
- 1/2 red onion, diced
Instructions
To make grinder dressing:
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
To assemble grinder salad:
- Slice the ham, pepperoni, and salami into 1/4 inch slices. Cut the provolone into thin slices or small cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded lettuce with all salad ingredients.
- If serving immediately, pour dressing over the salad and toss everything together until evenly coated.
- If not serving right away, wait until right before serving to toss the dressing with the salad.
Recipe Notes
-
- Chop everything small. Since the lettuce is shredded, I like to make sure all of the mix-ins are cut into bite-sized pieces as well. I recommend cutting the meat into 1/4-inch slices, slicing the provolone into bite-sized pieces, slicing the peppers, halving the tomatoes, and dicing the red onion. That way all of the flavors and textures blend well all together.
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- Serve immediately. Once the dressing is added, this salad is best served right away. The longer it sits, the soggier the ingredients will get.
- Meal Prep Option– To use this recipe for meal prep, assemble the salads in individual sized mason jars and layer the ingredients from wettest to driest, starting with the dressing and tomatoes, then meats and cheeses and working up to the lettuce and croutons.
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