Grinder Salad

Remember the viral grinder sandwich? This salad has all the same flavors (no bread required), and it’s made for meal prep. The secret to the best dressing is a splash of pepperoncini juice straight from the jar.

Ingredients You Need

Everything you love in an Italian sub, minus the bread. Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.

Grinder Sub Salad Ingredients

• Romaine and Iceberg lettuce: Use pre shredded lettuce to save time for the base of the salad. 
• Cherry tomatoes: Substitute with grape tomatoes or Roma tomatoes.
• Red onion: Adds a nice crunch.
• Pepperoncini peppers: you can also use banana peppers.
• Provolone cheese: Substitute with swiss cheese or cheddar cheese.
• Ham: This is traditional but you can use other cold cuts like turkey or deli chicken.
• Soppressata and Genoa salami: Genoa is the lunchmeat salami you find at the deli. Soppressata is made from a leaner cut and is usually in the specialty cheese section in the grocery store.

Grinder Salad Dressing

• Mayonnaise: Puts the “creamy” in this delicious creamy dressing.
• Red wine vinegar: And the tangy red wine vinegar balances out the mayo.
• Pepperoncini liquid: The secret ingredient! Pour it right from your jar of pepperoncini. It adds tang and a little heat.
• Grated parmesan cheese: Substitute with pecorino romano, or nutritional yeast for a dairy-free salad.
• Garlic: fresh minced is best but garlic powder works too.
• Italian seasoning: You can make your own at home with equal parts dried oregano, dried basil, and dried thyme.
• Kosher salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

How to Make Grinder Salad

Here are the basic steps, with images, for this easy grinder salad. Skip down to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe.

1. Make the dressing. Combine everything in a small bowl or mix in a blender. Store in the fridge or divide it evenly into the bottom of mason jars.
2. Add to jar or bowl. Chop all of the salad ingredients and add them to a large bowl. Making jars? See the layering steps below.
3. Serve and enjoy. Toss with the dressing right before serving. Leftover dressed salad keeps in the fridge for about a day.

How to Make Grinder Salad Jars

This recipe makes 6 jars. Use 32-ounce wide-mouth mason jars so there’s room to pack in the lettuce.

Layer in this order:

1. Dressing: About 3 tablespoons in the bottom of each jar.
2. Hearty veggies: Pepperoncini, red onion, and tomatoes. They can sit in the dressing without getting soggy.
3. Meats and cheese: Ham, salami, and provolone.
4. Lettuce: Pack it in tightly on top: A full jar means less air and crisper lettuce.

Tips for crisp jars: Make sure your lettuce is completely dry before packing it in, and keep the jars upright in the fridge.

How long they keep: Up to 5 days in the fridge. A dressed salad only lasts about a day, which is why the jar method works so well.

To eat: Shake the jar to coat everything, or dump it into a bowl and toss.

Recipe Variations

• Add more veggies like artichoke hearts, bell peppers, black olives, and roasted red peppers.
• Mix in other Italian meats like prosciutto or totally make it your own with roast beef or deli turkey!
• Toss in some cubed mozzarella or fresh mozzarella pearls.
• Not a fan of mayo? Use plain Greek yogurt instead.
• Turn it into a grinder pasta salad by adding cooked pasta, just like this chicken caesar pasta salad. 
• This is a great low carb salad, but you could serve it with crusty bread like Italian bread or a hoagie roll on the side.
• Like a sweeter dressing? Reader Edie adds a few pinches of sugar to hers.

How to Make Grinder Salad Recipe