Grinder Salad
This grinder salad is a bold and flavorful mix of crisp lettuce, Italian meats, cheese, and a creamy, tangy dressing. Inspired by the famous grinder sandwich, this salad is a fresh and satisfying way to enjoy all those classic deli flavors in a low-carb dish you can meal-prep for the week!
I've been working extra hard to offer up my family more vegetables this year. One of the best ways to do this is to turn some of their favorite dishes into an entree salad.
We love sub sandwiches from our local sandwich shop but they often order it without the lettuce and tomato. Well, joke's on them: I made the lettuce and tomato the star of this show! But since their favorite meats and cheeses are piled up on top, it was still a hit for family dinner.
You can mix and match your family's favorite sandwich toppings to make a unique-to-you grinder salad that everyone will love. Be sure to check out some of my alternative salad dressing ideas below!
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Full of Flavor: This easy salad features a delicious mix of meats, cheese, banana peppers, and a zesty homemade dressing.
- Easy to Make: Just chop, mix, and toss—the recipe comes together in minutes!
- Perfect for Meal Prep: Prep the ingredients in advance for quick, ready-to-go salads all week long.
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Ingredients
This may look like a lot of ingredients, but you likely have most of it in your fridge right now:
For the salad base, you will need:
- Lettuce: I used a mix of romaine and iceburg for the best texture and color.
- Deli Ham: I used a plain tavern ham but a maple glazed ham would be delicious. You could also substitute deli turkey or chicken if you prefer.
- Salami: I used a mix of soppressata and Genoa salami but you can use whichever you prefer.
- Provolone Cheese: I diced up sliced provolone but you could use shredded or cut it into small cubes.
- Banana Peppers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Green Onions
For the homemade dressing, you will also need:
- Mayonnaise
- Banana Pepper Liquid: You can get this right from the banana pepper jar.
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Hot Honey: This is just one of my favorite hot honey recipes.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Minced Garlic
- Dried Italian Herb Blend
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Or you can check out some alternative salad dressing ideas below!
Prep the Toppings
To make this easy chopped salad, start by chopping up all the meat and cheesy toppings.
I did this in just minutes on my cutting board with a chef knife but if you have a veggie chopper, you could use that too.
If you are meal-prepping, be sure to store each meat and cheese separately and assemble just before eating to keep everything fresh.
Prep the Italian Dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, banana pepper liquid, red wine vinegar, hot honey, garlic, Italian herb blend, salt, parmesan cheese, and red pepper relish.
Chill until ready to use.
Meal Prep Tips
I prepped and stored all the toppings and salad items separately to keep everything crisp and fresh.
I built my salad just before eating from my own little DIY salad bar in the fridge! Everything kept great for a week.
However, if you want to get all the meal prep done ahead, I recommend turning this into a mason jar salad by adding the ingredients to individual mason jars in the following order:
- Dressing on the Bottom: Only mix right before eating, this will keep it separate from the lettuce.
- Meats & Cheese
- Tomatoes
- Chopped Banana Peppers
- Red Pepper Sandwich Spread (if using)
- Salad Mix
Serving Suggestions & Variations
I loved having this heart low-carb salad for my lunches last week but if you wanted to bulk it up, it would taste amazing with a batch of homemade croutons made from sub sandwich bread or even mini bagels!
If you don't like creamy Italian dressing, you could swap out an alternative like my buttermilk herb dressing or this light Greek yogurt blue cheese dressing. To mimic another popular sandwich spread, my mustard vinaigrette would add a big boost of flavor, too.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Looking for more veggie-heavy entree salads to add to your rotation? Here are a few of my family's dinner favorites that I turned into salads:
📖 Recipe
Grinder Salad
Ingredients
For the Chopped Salad:
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 head iceberg lettuce chopped
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup banana peppers chopped
- 8 slices provolone cheese chopped
- 1/4 pound deli ham chopped
- 1/4 pound sopprasetta salami chopped
- 1/4 pound genoa salami chopped
For the Creamy Italian Dressing:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup banana pepper liquid from the jar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hot honey
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
For the Final Garnish:
- Red pepper sandwich relish to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the Italian Dressing: Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together until smooth. Chill in the fridge until ready to use for the salad.
- Assemble the Salad: Add all the chopped lettuce and salad toppings to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the prepared dressing as desired over the top and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Meal Prep Tips:
This is an excellent meal prep recipe, you can pre-chop the salad base and toppings in advance as long as you store them separately in the fridge. Just be sure to assemble the salad just before serving.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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