Italian Grinder Sandwich with homemade slaw or grinder salad. So easy to make and absolutely delicious! The sandwich is heated to melt the cheese and is finished with the grinder salad. Perfection.
Grinder salad recipe from Oh Hey I’m Gray.
This recipe went viral on TikTok and after seeing this on my for you page a few times, I knew I needed to make it! “A submarine sandwich, a sub, hoagie, hero, Italian, grinder, wedge, or a spuckie, is a type of American cold or hot sandwich made from a cylindrical bread roll split lengthwise and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. It has many different names.” What do you call it?
WHAT IS AN ITALIAN GRINDER?
“Grinders, which is the New England–based term for a hero. According to Bon Appétit, “some claim that it was named for ‘grinders,’ Italian-American slang for dockworkers (who were often sanding and grinding rusty hulls to repaint them),” but the term most likely comes from the fact that they were harder to chew than normal sandwiches: “that toothsomeness got translated into ‘grinder,’ since that’s what your teeth had to do to get through a bite.”
Read more fun and interesting facts about the history of the grinder here.
I used I used Italian semolina bread, but you can use any bread, meats and cheeses. I used provolone cheese, ham, turkey, mortadella and finocchiona. Bake in the oven until warmed and melty.
WHAT MAKES THIS GRINDER SPECIAL?
You have to have some great meats and cheese but the grinder salad is what makes this sandwich. The creamy “grinder salad” that is added, adds such great flavor, freshness (to balance all the bread and meat in my opinion) and honestly, a little mess, but this makes the whole sandwich so much better.
To create this simple salad, a mayonnaise-based dressing is made and to that, red onion, iceberg lettuce, pepperoncini peppers, garlic, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, crushed red pepper and salt and pepper. The salad recipe is from @graysworldpod on Instagram.
Italian Grinder Sandwich
Ingredients
For the sandwich:
- 1 loaf Italian, Ciabatta or Focaccia with the inner bread removed if desired
- provolone cheese
- assorted meats: ham, turkey, mortadella and finocchiona (salami variety)
- freshly shredded Parmesan cheese optional
- tomatoes sliced
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
For the salad/slaw:
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup real mayonnaise + more if desired
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce chopped
- 1/3 cup pepperoncinis chopped
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the sandwich:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Layer the cheese and meats over your bread and bake in the oven until warmed and the cheese is melty.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the freshly shredded Parmesan cheese if using. Season tomato slices with salt, pepper and a very light drizzle of olive oil if desired and layer over the Parmesan cheese.
For the grinder salad/slaw:
- Mix together all of the ingredients from the mayonnaise to the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust any ingredients as desired. Make the grinder salad as outlined but then change it up according to your taste! Want more vinegar or mayo? Add more. Want more chopped lettuce? Add more. Do what you like!
- Place the grinder salad on top of the tomatoes. Close the sandwich, slice in half and enjoy immediately!
There are many variations of this sandwich online. I first saw the grinder salad “recipe” on TikTok from Oh Hey I’m Gray.
