Grinder Sandwich

5 from 5 votes

This Grinder Sandwich recipe went viral on TikTok last year, and for good reason. It’s loaded with various meats and cheeses and packed with flavor thanks to its signature creamy Grinder salad. This hearty sandwich is assembled atop a sliced Italian sandwich loaf with a spread of Calabrian chili paste and dressed up with slices of tomato, extra onion, and lots of freshly grated parmesan to take it over the top. Though it’s been popular for a while now, this Grinder Sandwich is still my obsession.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian American

Servings: serving

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Ingredients

SALAD:

1/4 thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce
3 pepperoncinis sliced
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

SANDWICH:

Italian loaves (or you could use hoagie loaves)
Calabrian paste
2 slices Havarti cheese
2 slices Colby jack
3 slices salami
3 slices prosciutto
3 slices spicy pepperoni
Fresh parmesan
1 tomato
1 white onion
Kosher salt and black pepper
Freshly grated parmesan to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the red onion to a bowl, pour some cold water over it, and let it sit. This will take away some of the bitterness. Whisk the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, oregano, red pepper, and garlic cloves. Add in the lettuce, onion, and pepperoncini, and give it a taste. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Slice the bread in half and add Calabrian chili paste to both sides of the bread. Add the cheese to one of the halves. Add the meats to the other half. Transfer to the oven to bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the meat is warmed. Add the salad on top of the meat, along with a few slices of tomato, fresh onion, and parmesan cheese.
Slice in half and enjoy. #grindersandwich

Notes

TIPS AND TRICKS

You might be asking yourself if you can make this ahead. And I say yes and no. You can assemble the sandwich and keep it in the fridge before hand. Then just pop it in the oven when you're ready to serve it. The salad, however, gets pretty soggy if it sits for too long. I say that's best fresh.

Can you make this without pork? Yes! Find salami made from beef. Skip the prosciutto and replace it with turkey.

I love the grinder salad itself. And I have actually made the salad by itself, a piece of protein (like chicken) and served them together. Bliss! Does it take the sandwich out of the equation all together? Yes, but it's still good.

Nutrition