Italian Grinder Salad

A bowl of chopped salad with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, banana peppers, sliced meats, cheese, and two wooden serving spoons.

Italian Grinder Salad

This grinder salad takes everything you love about an Italian sub and turns it into a chopped, crunchy salad that actually feels like a full meal. You get deli meats, provolone, crisp lettuce, and a tangy creamy dressing all mixed together so every bite hits.

Course Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 426kcal

Author Kylee Ayotte

Ingredients

Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup cucumber chopped
½ red onion thinly sliced
½ cup pepperoncini sliced
4 ounces salami chopped (about 8–10 thin slices)
4 ounces deli turkey chopped (about 4–6 slices)
4 ounces deli ham chopped (about 4–6 slices)
6 to 8 slices provolone cheese chopped

Dressing

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove minced
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Get prepped

Chop the iceberg into small, bite-size pieces - about 1-inch or slightly smaller. You want it chopped, not shredded, so it still has crunch but is easy to eat in one bite.
Halve the tomatoes. Chop the cucumber to about the same size as the tomatoes so you don’t get big watery bites. Slice the red onion thin.
Chop the salami, turkey, and ham into small pieces - roughly ½-inch to 1-inch pieces. Think “fork-friendly” so you get some meat in every bite without big floppy slices.
Stack the provolone slices and chop them into similar-size pieces so everything mixes evenly.
Remove the top of the pepperoncini, cut in half lengthwise, then slice thinly (ribbon like).
Mince the garlic and measure out the dressing ingredients.

Make the dressing

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, pepperoncini brine, Italian seasoning, Dijon mustard, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.
¼ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove, ½ cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper

Build the salad

Add the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, pepperoncini, meats, and cheese to a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated. Start with most of the dressing, then add more if needed so it’s coated but not heavy.

Serve

Serve right away for the best crunch, or chill for 10 to 15 minutes if you want the flavors to come together a bit more

Notes

Chop everything small for the best texture.
Dress right before serving for max crunch.
Use equal amounts of each meat for balance.
Start with less dressing and add more as needed.

Nutrition