I’m sure you guys have seen the viral TikTok grinder salad sandwiches, and I’m going to share my take on it with you guys! One thing about me is that I LOVE me a gooood sandwich. It needs to be saucy, extremely flavorful, and packed with different textures. I follow the “more is less” method for this. If you are a huge fan of sandwiches, I think you will enjoy this recipe a whole lot!

Meatless Italian Sub

A true Italian sandwich is always packed with different meats, so I wanted to make this as authentic as possible. Of course I didn’t add meat to mine since I’m a vegetarian, but I did try the Lightlife Smart Deli Veggie Turkey Slices because I heard they were really good… plus that’s all I could find at my local Shop Rite, lol! To be honest, I didn’t mind them. Since these sandwiches are packed with a million different flavors, the deli slices weren’t too over powering. All in all, they added protein to the sub, and made it more of a true Italian sandwich!

Grinder Salad

The grinder salad basically includes alllll of the ingredients, or toppings, if you will. I love to start off with the spices, and then I add in the sauces. I also think that sandwiches are always better with mayo, mustard, oil and vinegar, so for me, that is KEY! Aside from that, I like to add in red onion, pepperoncini (with some of the liquid from the bottle), and jalapeños! It tastes bomb when everything is mixed together, I promise. And the best part is that the bread doesn’t get all soggy since the liquid-y salad is in middle of the cheeses! 

Serving Size

My recipe calls for 1 large loaf of ciabatta bread, but it is very important to know that all bread sizes will be different. Click the link here for a video on exactly how I make this sandwich and the size of my bread. For this recipe, please find a loaf of bread that is as big as the entire loaf from my video 🙂 You can also use your best judgement to adjust the recipe as needed!

If you make my Veggie Grinder Salad Sandwich, please be sure to tag @chocolateandcheeseplease in any Instagram stories! I would also love it if you could comment below and rate this recipe with your honest thoughts! If you haven’t seen me on Instagram yet, be sure to follow me  ENJOY!

Veggie Grinder Salad Sandwich

Megha Patel

 

prep time:15 minutes mins

cook time:7 minutes mins

total time:22 minutes mins

servings:4 people

The sauciest Italian sandwich you can ask for 😉

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Ingredients

Grinder Salad

• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayo spread)
• 1/4 cup spicy mustard (or measure with your heart)
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic (grated)
• 4 cups lettuce (thinly shredded)
• 1 cup spinach (thinly chopped)
• 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers (thinly sliced)
• 1 jalapeno (thinly sliced)

Other

• 1 large ciabatta bread (or any crusty Italian bread)
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 8-10 veggie deli slices (optional)
• 4 slices Colby jack cheese (thick cut (or any cheese))
• 1 large tomato (thinly sliced)

Instructions

 

Grinder Salad

• Mix together all grinder salad ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

Assembling Sandwiches

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Cut your large ciabatta bread in half horizontally. Evenly add pesto on both sides.
• On one side, add the shredded cheese. On the other side, layer on your deli slices (if using), followed by the sliced cheese.
• When the oven is ready, pop the bread in until cheese is melted. Depending on your oven, it should take 5-7 minutes to melt.
• Once the cheese is melted, remove from oven and layer on tomatoes, followed by the grinder salad.
• Close up the sandwich, cut into 4 equal parts and serve with a side of chips!

Notes

• You can use real meat if you like, tofu, or omit the protein if you want a full veggie sub!