This Italian Sub Salad has all the flavors of your favorite Italian sub sandwich packed into a hearty salad.
Featuring crunchy lettuce, flavorful toppings, and a creamy homemade dressing, this submarine salad recipe is the perfect quick and easy dinner – and it's great for meal prep too!
One of our favorite places to visit for a quick dinner is the local sandwich shop. While the rest of my family chows down on hearty submarine sandwiches, I always get mine "sub-in-a-tub" style. I prefer to skip the bread and load my favorite toppings on a bed of crisp lettuce. It's SO yummy!
Even though it's delicious, the cost adds up, and so I started to wonder if I could recreate this favorite at home. I was inspired by my Italian grinder salad recipe, swapping out the core ingredients for our favorite sub toppings and reverse-engineering a tangy sub sauce.
After MANY test rounds, I finally created the perfect salad (and can I say the dressing is ah-MAY-zing?). In fact, it's WAY better than anything I've had at the sandwich shop – and cheaper too!
But the best part? It's quick and easy to make and perfect for weekly meal prep. It's also packed with protein and fiber, making for a quick and satisfying meal the whole family will love.
Why You'll Love It:
- Quick and easy. Once the chopping is done and the dressing is made, you're ready to assemble dinner. It's perfect for busy weeknights!
- All of your favorite sandwich ingredients – loaded into a veggie-packed salad that satisfies your strongest cravings.
- Great for low carb or gluten free. Since no bread is used, this easy salad is a great dinner option for those with dietary restrictions.
Ingredients
- Lettuce: For the classic submarine sandwich crunch, we recommend shredded iceberg lettuce, but you can use whatever type you like best (romaine lettuce, buttercrunch, etc).
- Deli meat: Like any true sub shop, you can use different meats to customize it to your taste. We like to do a mix of classic Italian meats (prosciutto, salami, etc) and a more neutral-flavored deli meat like smoked turkey or chicken.
- Cheese: We recommend sliced Havarti or Provolone cheese, but you can use whatever type of cheese you like best on your subs and sandwiches. We also recommend a small amount of Parmesan cheese to add a sharp and nutty flavor.
- Favorite sub toppings: Use whatever fresh veggies and toppings you like best! We recommend cherry tomatoes, red onion, green pepper, banana peppers (or pepperoncini peppers), pickles, and black olives.
For the Sub Dressing:
If preferred, you can use a store-bought submarine sauce, but testers were partial to this homemade version, which has the perfect balance of flavors (in our opinion).
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Small amount of mayo (or extra olive oil)
- Honey (or sweetener of choice)
- Dijon mustard
- Dried oregano
- Salt & black pepper
How to Make a Sub Salad
- Fill a very large bowl with lots of shredded lettuce (iceberg or your favorite type).
- Chop all of your toppings. Chop all of your ingredients into bite-sized pieces (including the deli meat and cheese). Add them on top of the lettuce.
- Toss the ingredients together. Using a pair of salad tongs, toss the ingredients into the shredded lettuce until well combined.
- Prepare the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a small jar or blender and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add the dressing and parmesan cheese. Drizzle the salad with your prepared sub sauce and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
- Toss well to combine. Once again toss using salad tongs until the dressing is well distributed. Serve and enjoy immediately!
Storing Leftovers
Once the dressing is added to the salad, you have 1-2 days of storage in an airtight container in the refrigerator before it starts to get a little too soggy. If you want to store leftovers for longer, store the dressing and the salad separately and add the dressing just before serving!
Make-Ahead or Meal Prep Tips
- To prep ahead of time: Prepare all of the vegetables and toppings by chopping as directed in the recipe. Assemble all of the ingredients and dressing about 30 minutes before serving. Chill until ready to serve.
- Meal prep: Leave the dressing off, but prepare the salad as directed. Portion into meal prep containers, then portion the sub sauce into small containers. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, and add the dressing just before serving.
Variations and Substitutions
- Deli meat: If you don't want to use deli meat, use whatever protein option you like to add to your subs. Grilled chicken, shaved roast beef, tuna salad, etc.
- Cheese: Chopped cheese slices give the most authentic sub shop vibes, but really, you can use whatever cheese you like best, including shredded.
- Sub sauce: The best sub sauce (in my humble opinion) is my homemade sub dressing (or copycat sweet onion sauce), but you can use store-bought sauces if that's what you prefer. Sub sauce, Italian dressing, garlic aioli, etc., are all good options.
- Toppings: The best part about this salad is that you can customize it exactly to your tastes. Don't like banana peppers? Leave 'em out! Hate olives? Use something else! Whatever you like on your subs can be used for this "sub in a tub" inspired recipe.
Expert Tips
- Chop the ingredients into small pieces. One of the best things about chopped salad is how all of the pieces are bite-sized and easy to chew. Chop everything (even the cold cuts and cheese) into small pieces before tossing with the tangy dressing.
- Get creative. I kept the base recipe pretty simple, but you can add whatever fun flavors you feel like! I think an antipasto salad version would be amazing - think marinated artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, bocconcini, bell peppers, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Serve it as a sub! Once all of the ingredients are chopped and tossed with dressing, it actually makes a pretty amazing sub. Fill a split hoagie roll with some of the salad mixture, add extra sauce to taste, and enjoy!
If you loved this recipe for Italian Sub Salad, let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card or comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @dashfordinner.
Italian Sub Salad (AKA Sub in a Tub)
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce shredded or finely sliced
- 12 ounces deli meat of choice finely chopped (smoked turkey, chicken, Italian meats, etc) (680 grams)
- 6 ounces cheese slices chopped (about 8 slices of provolone, havarti, cheddar, etc.) (170 grams)
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ½ green bell pepper finely sliced
- 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 1 ½ cups before slicing)
- ⅓-½ cup pickled banana peppers without the liquid
- ½ cup sliced pickles without the liquid (optional)
- ½ cup black olives drained
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
- Other favorite sub toppings jalapenos, fried onions, etc.
Sub Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey warmed if thick
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise (or an additional 1 tablespoon of olive oil)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the shredded lettuce, chopped deli meat, chopped cheese, red onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, pickled banana peppers, sliced pickles, black olives, and parmesan cheese in a very large bowl. If desired, add your favorite sub toppings (jalapenos, fried onions, etc.).
- Toss the salad ingredients together until well combined. Set aside while you prepare the dressing.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a small jar and shake vigorously to combine or blend with a milk frother.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to distribute it evenly. Note: If you’re making this in advance or for meal prep, we recommend holding off on dressing the salad until you’re ready to serve. Refrigerate the salad and dressing until needed.
- Serve in bowls garnished with additional shredded parmesan cheese (if desired).
Notes
Nutrition
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Dorothy Bigelow
This salad is one of our favorites for weeknights and hot weather. It's refreshing, healthy, and easy to make. Sometimes we set up a "bar" and let everyone pick their own toppings. It's a fun way to recreate sub shops in your own home.