Grinder Sandwich (Popular TikTok Recipe) (2024)

This Grinder Sandwich recipe is a hearty meal piled high with meats, cheeses, and a tasty salad and dressing. It’s an ultimate comfort food and guaranteed to satisfy any hunger cravings.

Turn an ordinary lunch sandwich into something you can find at America’s most famous delis or sandwich shops with this Grinder Sandwich recipe. Piled high with your favorite meats and cheeses, this sandwich also has the added flavors and textures of a veggie salad with a tangy dressing. And it’s easy to make! Serve alongside potato chips, a side of fruit or pasta salad and you have a meal that’s bursting with flavors and is hearty enough to serve for supper too.

What is a Grinder Sandwich?

A grinder sandwich is also known as a sub sandwich or a hoagie, depending on the region. Basically it’s a type of sandwich made with a long hoagie roll, typically Italian bread, filled with deli meat, cheeses, veggies and all kinds of condiments. This particular sandwich recipe went viral on TikTok last year, mostly because of its signature “grinder salad” that is piled on top of the meat and cheese. Italian Grinder Sandwiches are especially popular in the New England, often served alongside other Italian-American favorites. The great thing about this Grinder Sandwich recipe is how versatile it is; you can change up ingredients based on your favorite flavors and combinations. Grinders are often served cold, but this version is toasted before serving.

Ingredients in a Grinder Sandwich

Yes, this infamous Tiktok Grinder sub calls for a lot of ingredients. But trust me, every single item is worth it when you sink your teeth into the best sub sandwich of your life! Of course, you can change up ingredients based on your family’s needs and tastes. But here’s what to start with:

For the Grinder Salad

• Mayo – half a cup mayonnaise. I like to use the Best Foods brand but you can use your favorite.
• Red wine vinegar – one tbsp or a dash more if you like.
• Italian seasoning – toss in two tsp of dried seasoning
• Pepperoncini peppers – you’ll need about fivesliced and patted dry, plus more for topping. Find them in the condiment section or the Italian foods section of your grocery store.
• Iceberg lettuce – chop about half a head iceberg lettuce or you can buy shredded iceberg lettuce in the grocery store. You’ll need about eight ounces for this recipe.
• Red onion– one quarter of an onion, sliced thin
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese – one third cup of freshly grated parmesan. You can find it in the dairy section of your grocery store, next to the rest of the fresh cheeses.
• Salt and pepper – to taste

Herb Butter Spread

• Butter– one quarter cup, or half a cube of salted or unsalted butter, melted
• Italian seasoning – one additional teaspoon just for the butter spread. So delish!
• Garlic – one teaspoon, or one large clove garlic, finely diced or grated.

Layer the Grinder Salad Sandwich

• Italian Bread – you can find whole Italian loaves in the bakery section at most grocery stores. loafyou can find whole Italian loaves in the bakery section. This recipe makes four huge sandwiches and uses an entire loaf of the Italian bread.
• Provolone cheese– four ounces, or as many slices you like
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese – one quarter cup of additional grated parmesan cheese. It’s worth it to take the extra effort to grate the parmesan fresh onto the sandwich.
• Deli Turkey – one quarter pound, sliced thin. Ask the deli counter to slice it extra thin.
• Ham – also a quarter pound of thinly sliced ham.
• Salami – a quarter pound of sliced salami, also found at the deli counter.
• Pepperoni – one quarter pound. You can get it freshly sliced at the deli or buy a package of pre-sliced meat.
• Tomato – one large slicing tomato
• Salt and pepper to taste

Grinder Sandwich Variations

The best thing about a submarine sandwich, or a Grinder, is how versatile it is. You can literally swap out meats, cheeses, condiments and veggies for your favorites and nobody is going to tell you it’s wrong! Here are some variations to the classic Italian Grinder sandwich ingredients:

• Prosciutto – this is one of the most popular cured meats, and is perfectly okay to eat raw, so there’s no need to cook it ahead of time.
• Chicken
• Roast Beef
• Mozzarella cheese
• Swiss cheese
• Banana peppers
• Red Pepper flakes – a little goes a long way, but if you like an extra spicy kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the Italian dressing.
• Fresh oregano, chives, parsley or basil. Any fresh herbs would taste delicious.
• Use a hoagie bun, focaccia roll or other type of bun for the sandwich.
• Crunchy lettuce or other types of lettuce – romaine, arugula or mixed greens are all options.
• Cherry tomatoes

Steps to the Best Italian Grinder Sandwich Recipe

1. First, assemble the Grinder Salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Then in a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, dried Italian seasoning and garlic.
3. Slice the Italian loaf in half length-wise, and brush the seasoned butter over the top half and bottom halves of the bread. If you want less bread, you can scoop out a little bit with a knife before brushing on the butter mixture.
4. Turn the oven on to broil and toast the bread halves for just a couple of minutes until the edges are slightly golden and crisp.
5. Take the bread out of the oven and layer meats the meats and cheeses on the bottom halves. Make sure to top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
6. Pop it back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
7. Now it’s time to add that famous Grinder salad. Use salad tongs to place a good amount of salad onto the top of the cheesy layer.
8. Add more sliced pepperoncini, tomatoes or additional onions, add the top layer of bread and serve.

If you want to mellow the flavor of the red onions a bit, place the onion in a bowl of ice water for about ten minutes, then add to the salad mixture.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How to Make a Grinder Sandwich