Everyone's heard of the TikTok Grinder Sandwich by now, but have you actually tried it?! It's delicious. Crusty bread, provolone cheese, Italian cold cuts, tomatoes and grinder salad with homemade dressing - the best part!
This Italian grinder sandwich is better than any sub sandwich you've had. That's mostly because of the tangy dressing mixed with iceberg lettuce. That grinder salad is what makes this viral grinder salad sandwich all that it is.
Good sauces make or break a sandwich. Just like the sauces in this Meatball Banh Mi, New Orleans Muffuletta and Marinated Flank Steak Sandwich. The more sauce the better, if you ask me! Check out the original grinder recipe and video!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe has incredible flavor and texture. Enjoy it as a salad or sandwich!
- This Italian Grinder sandwich is easy and customizable! You can make the dressing up to 5 days ahead to save time then just throw the sandwiches together. Try Marry Me Chicken Orzo for another quick easy dinner.
- Salad leftovers will pack up nicely for tomorrow's lunch.
Recipe Ingredients
- Crusty Italian Bread: Choose a hearty bread that will hold up to the dressing. This bread is great for a ribeye steak sandwich recipe too!
- Mayo: Add red wine vinegar and this is the basis for a tangy salad dressing.
- Seasonings: There's a lot going on here, but oregano and red pepper flakes are the perfect start!
- Pepperoncini Peppers: These bring a sweet heat and are a classic ingredient in Italian grinder sandwiches.
- Red Onion: You will enjoy the bite of freshly diced red onion in here!
- Cheese: I combine Provolone and Parmesan.
- Meat: Turkey, ham, and cured meats are the hearty protein in this delicious sandwich.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Try using mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, or swiss.
- You can use capicola, mortadella, turkey, salami or prosciutto on this Italian grinder sandwich. There are also spicy versions of soppressata and capicola that are wonderful.
- If you're like me then you love all things spicy. Add some Pickled jalapenos, serrano peppers, hot honey, sport peppers or giardiniera. The giardiniera is available in hot or mild.
- Add pickles, banana peppers or any other pickled veggie. The vinegar really brings out the other flavors in this grinder salad sandwich.
- A popular variation to this TikTok Grinder Sandwich, and how it's done in the original video, is to heat the bread and cheese until the cheese melts. Then add the remaining ingredients. Honestly, it's delicious either way, it depends on my mood that day. If you love a good melty cheese sandwich then Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are for you!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make A Grinder Sandwich
Step 1: Add all dressing ingredients to a large bowl, whisk together then set aside.
Step 2: Cut bread down the center, remove some bread to make room then smear each side with dressing.
Step 3: Stir lettuce into bowl of remaining dressing.
Step 4: Layer meat and cheese on bottom of bread. Top with salad. Add tomato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the top of the bread then serve Italian Grinder sandwich immediately.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Use good bread! You want the bread to be hearty and crusty so your TikTok Grinder Sandwich doesn't get soggy.
- Make dressing up to 5 days in advance. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Put that dressing on everything! This dressing is great on more than just the TikTok Grinder Sandwich, try using it on other salads and sandwiches.
- Make the salad right before assembling the grinder sandwiches. The lettuce can get soggy quickly.
- Heat your bread in the oven to give it a little more crust. I'd recommend 3-5 minutes on 400°F.
- I like to pull out any extra bread from the center of the sandwich.
- This Viral TikTok Grinder Salad Sandwich recipe can get soggy in a hurry. Assemble the grinders right before serving.
- This sandwich is great to cut into mini sizes and serve at a party. My Philly cheesesteak slider recipe is another small sandwich party favorite!
Recipe FAQs
An Italian grinder sandwich is one that is is similar to a sub, sub sandwich, hoagie or hero but with hearty, crusty bread. The bread can be difficult to chew, thus creating the name "grinder", because you grind your teeth to chew it.
Grinders are popular along the East Coast in New England, but you can also find them throughout the U.S.. They typically have cheese, meats such as cold cuts and sauce served on bread. They are served hot or cold and are an Italian -American fusion, just as this Chicken Parm Sandwich with Brussel Caesar Salad.
Soppressata is a dry-cured Italian salami. It can be mild or spicy and ingredients will vary depending on the region it was made. Soppressata is a pork salami that has great flavor. It gets its oblong shaped from being pressed after it's stuffed. If you've never tried it, I highly encourage you to try. You can find it any most local grocers as well as Italian shops. It's great on an Italian Grinder sandwich.
Eating your TikTok Grinder Sandwich fresh when it's made is the best option. If you do have leftovers, you can store them tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. These Italian Grinder sandwiches get soggy quickly, so they're not great to keep long.
I like to serve potato chips, a cookie, tomato cucumber salad, antipasto salad or fries. Even a giant pickle is a great side. You really don't need much for a side since the Italian Grinder sandwich is so huge.
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📖 Recipe
TikTok Grinder Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 sharp knife
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- ½ tsp kosher salt diamond crystal
- ½ teaspoon black pepper coarse ground
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ⅓ cup pepperoncini peppers small dice
- ¼ cup red onion fine dice
- ¼ cup grated parmesan I like to use freshly grated
Sandwich
- 1 loaf large crusty Italian bread about a 20" large baguette
- ½ lb provolone cheese sliced
- ½ lb deli turkey sliced
- ½ lb deli ham sliced
- ½ lb soppressata sliced, mild or spicy
- ½ lb deli pepperoni sliced
- ¾ head iceberg lettuce shredded
- 1-2 large tomatoes sliced
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
Make Dressing
- Add all dressing ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together
Making Grinders
- Slice bread down the middle then into 4 pieces. Tear some of the bread out of the top and bottom to make room
- Smear both sides with dressing, reserving a little for the lettuce
- Layer sandwiches with cheese on the bottom then turkey, ham, soppressata and pepperoni
- Toss the lettuce with the leftover dressing, add it to the sandwich, top with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Star
Omg this is so good
admin
Thank you!!
Tammy Cruse
I did not actually make this recipe however I was fortunate enough to taste this sandwich. It was phenomenal! I will definitely be making this in the future!
admin
Glad you liked it!