CUISINES/ FRENCH/ ITALIAN/ MAINS

My Take on an Italian Sandwich

Hi, welcome to Djalali Cooks, it’s great you’re here! I have an easy one today – my Take on an Italian Sandwich. I am eschewing definitions for this sandwich though. Because honestly, I suppose the only traditional Italian thing about it is the Italian dressing and the fact that it has a few meats, some provolone, tomato, lettuce and a homemade giardiniera. Get as creative as you want to with this one! Let’s get to it.

Italian Sandwich

Giardiniera

Giardiniera is an Italian relish of pickled vegetables. It’s often found on sandwiches, charcuterie boards or in a Bloody Mary. You can buy giardiniera at the supermarket, but I have an entire shelf in the fridge dedicated to pickled vegetables. So I am going to raid that shelf to create my own. I also have part of a green bell pepper rolling around in the crisper drawer, so I will toss that in too – for a little fresh crunch. Usually giardiniera is made up of bigger pieces of veggies, but since this batch is going straight into the sandwich, I will dice everything up into small pieces.

Giardiniera ingredients

I want this giardiniera to be savory and spicy with little pops of sweet flavor. My combination will be mild green olives, a spicy dill pickle, pepperoncini peppers, pickled sweet cherry peppers and that bell pepper. I am going to add a tablespoon of the chopped Calabrian Chilis to tie it altogether.

Once this all mixed up, just set it aside, now we can move on to the dressing. This is a pretty straight-forward Italian dressing: red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Pour these ingredients into a squeeze bottle or jar and shake to emulsify.

I am going to make a little salad with thin slices of lettuce and thinly sliced red onion. You can use iceberg or romaine for added crunch; I have butter lettuce. Just slice it thinly to create more of a shredded lettuce situation. Combine the shredded lettuce and red onion slices in a bowl and toss with dressing to coat the little salad. Set this aside.

Italian dressing ingredients

Italian Sandwich

I have store-bought hoagie rolls and I am just going to pop the whole roll into a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes; just to crisp up the outside a little and soften up the inside. I have the giardiniera, the dressed lettuce and onion salad, and sliced yellow tomatoes. For the meats, you want a variety of three meats, preferably a selection that includes a cured meat. I have salami, deli-sliced turkey and Bresaola (beef prosciutto). For the cheese, I am going with Provolone.

building the Italian Sandwich

Layer it up!

Now we just start layering on the toppings. I like to slice the bread all the way through so that every bit of the bread gets an even amount of toppings. Start with dressing the bottom half of the roll with some of the vinaigrette. Then spread a few tablespoons of the giardiniera over the vinaigrette.

Now for the meat layers. Fold the meat slices to give some texture differentiation. I am starting with salami, then Bresaola.

Following that with the turkey, then it’s time for the tomatoes. Since the tomatoes are juicy, I want to layer them between a meat layer and the cheese.

Now for the cheese. Fold the cheese in half; I have thin sliced Provolone, so I am layering on four folded slices. And I have arranged them in a way to give the most even coverage over the tomatoes. Then scoop out some of the bread on the inside of the top half of the roll.

Fill that hollowed out space in the top half of the roll with some more giardiniera and set that top half down. Now, for the final layer: the lettuce and onion salad. Pile as much as you can on top of the cheese. Then add a few more squirts of the dressing on the salad and on the top half with the giardiniera.

Then Place the top half of the roll on top of the lettuce and onion salad and lightly press down on the sandwich.

My Take on an Italian Sandwich

Italian Sandwich

To better keep this together, I am going to roll the whole sandwich in parchment paper, then cut it in half diagonally.

Rolling Italian Sandwich in parchment

Place the sandwich on the bottom third of the parchment and fold up the bottom of the parchment and fold each side over the sandwich. Then, tightly roll the sandwich in the parchment up and away from you. Hopefully the end of parchment lands on the bottom, but if not, that’s ok. Just hold the sandwich and use a serrated knife to saw the sandwich in half.

Italian Sandwich

I only made one of these Italian Sandwiches and Alex and I shared it. But almost immediately after I finished my half, I wished I made two! It’s so good! When I worked a nine-to-five, we often would go to the nearby sandwich shop for lunch. I haven’t been to sandwich shop for over two years – but this sandwich is just as amazing as any I have had at a shop.

Italian Sandwich

If you have followed Djalali Cooks for a while now, you know we love sandwiches here. So if you do too, and you haven’t yet checked out some of my other sandwich creations, check them out! Give me a follow on Instagram and pin this recipe on Pinterest, it’s a keeper for sure! Take care and be well everyone, xo Kelly

Italian Sandwich

Italian Sandwich

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Main Course, Lunch American/Italian
By Kelly Djalali Serves: Makes one Sandwich
Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: NA Total Time: 30 Minutes

Based on a typical Italian sandwich, we have three kinds of meat, Provolone cheese, homemade giardiniera, lettuce, onions and Italian dressing.

Ingredients

  • Giardiniera
  • 1 Dill Pickle Spear, finely diced
  • 4-6 Pickled Cherry Peppers, finely diced
  • 4-6 Large Green Olives, finely diced
  • 4-6 Pepperoncini Peppers, finely diced
  • 1/4 Green Bell Pepper, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp. chopped Calabrian Chili
  • Italian Dressing
  • 4 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • Pinch of Garlic Salt
  • Pinch Black Pepper
  • Pinch Dried Oregano
  • Italian Sandwich
  • 5-6 Slices Each of 3 types of Meat, one should be cured (think: Salami, Prosciutto, Bresaola, or Coppa)
  • 4-6 Slices of Cheese, like Provolone
  • 3-5 Tomato Slices
  • 2-4 Lettuce Leaves (like iceberg, romaine or even butter lettuce), sliced thin to make shreds
  • 5-8 Slices of Red onion, sliced thin
  • 1 Hoagie Roll

Instructions

Giardiniera

1

Combine all giardiniera ingredients in a small bowl and mix well, set aside.

Italian Dressing

2

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar or squeeze bottle, shake until well emulsified and set aside.

Italian Sandwich

3

Combine the shredded lettuce and onion slices in a small bowl and dress with a few teaspoons of the dressing, toss well to coat the lettuce and onions, set aside.

4

Slice the hoagie roll in half lengthwise and dress the bottom half with about a teaspoon of the dressing.

5

Then spread a layer of the giardiniera on top of the dressed bottom half.

6

Top the giardiniera with a first layer of meat like salami, then layer on the other two sliced meats.

7

Top the meats with the tomato slices.

8

Top the tomato slices with the cheese slices.

9

Hollow out some of the bread in the top half of the hoagie roll and fill the hollowed out area with more giardiniera.

10

Pile the dressed lettuce and onion salad on top of the cheese layer and dress both halves with more dressing.

11

Place the top half on top of the bottom half and lightly press together.

12

Slice the sandwich in half and enjoy!

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  • Pat
    August 5, 2021 at 10:19 am

    So going to make these! My favorite Sub sandwich. Love your blog, always something to pique ones taste buds.

    • Kelly Djalali
      August 5, 2021 at 10:37 am

      Thanks Pat! I love this Sandwich – I can’t wait to make it again. Have a great day, xo Kelly

  • Carla
    August 5, 2021 at 10:45 am

    This sandwich looks amazing! It’s going on the list of things to make. Thanks!

    • Kelly Djalali
      August 5, 2021 at 10:51 am

      Awesome, Carla! Let me know how it comes out for you! Have a wonderful day! xo Kelly

  • Mari
    August 5, 2021 at 10:53 am

    I should know better than to read this site with men around. I was asked when I was boing to make this for supper. Apparently the correct answer is tonight! I actually have almost everything on hand. It’s hot and humid today, so this will be perfect. Just one short trip to the store and I have a great meal to serve without heating up the kitchen. I do love how logical and straightforward, and concise your directions are I am more undisciplined, so this has been very helpful to me. After all these years I am doing things right. Also, the pictures are great. Thanks Kelly! My son and my husband love your recipes, and are not shy about telling me what we’re having for supper. Left to my own devices I would happily eat a salad amd call it a day.

    • Kelly Djalali
      August 5, 2021 at 11:47 am

      That’s funny Mari, Alex would probably eat this sandwich every single day of the week if he could. Lol! It’s a great dinner on a hot night. I am so happy your family are fans! I am a very undisciplined cook myself, and this blog has really challenged me to pay more attention to amounts of ingredients, like spices – usually I just toss stuff in. Which you will see me do here from time to time. And that’s really because I think there’s a certain amount of intuitiveness that comes with practice. It’s ok to go off recipe. I hope my recipes serve to give clear and concise directions with the idea that over time those who are less comfortable with going off recipe will have the confidence to do just that. Thanks so much for your support, it means so much! Let me know how y’all like the sandwich! xo Kelly

  • Heidi
    August 6, 2021 at 5:25 am

    Love, love, love this sandwich! Recipe as is–AMAZING–and I will make it again for sure. Also like how flexible it is. I’m not a vegetarian, but I will often order from that menu or make veg dishes at home, just to mix it up, no pun. 🙂 This sandwich has so much texture and flavor going on, even without the meat it’s a great vegetarian option. Certainly easy enough to add another cheese, maybe even hummus, avocado, or shredded carrots. I’m a golfer and this sandwich travels well, too. I just wrapped each portion like a burrito so they could be hand held. I doubled the recipe for the giardineria and eat it with chips or scrambled eggs, also good on bagels with cream cheese.

    • Kelly Djalali
      August 6, 2021 at 8:36 am

      Well, hello Heidi Bohi! I am so happy you like this one; great ideas for making it a vegetarian sandwich. Good to know it traveled well too! I think it would be a great sandwich to take to the beach. xo Kelly

  • Mari
    February 12, 2022 at 9:03 am

    This is still one of the most requested sandwiches at my house. There is just something wonderful about foods that are simple and delicious, and people respond to it every time. Perfect for game day or any day of the week. My boys would probably eat these three times a day if they could. I am not watching the game tomorrow, or the commercials, but I will hope the Bengals win because I’m a Tiger, and this the Year Of The Tiger! Go me! Go Bengals!

    • Kelly Djalali
      February 12, 2022 at 9:35 am

      Hi Mari, It is definitely hard not to love a good Italian Sandwich! All the vinegary flavors coming together with the meat and cheese…so good! We love a tiger here, so go Bengals! xo Kelly