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The Italian Salad Sandwich is the sandwich to serve at your next backyard BBQ or afternoon picnic in the sun. It consists of a grilled ciabatta layer with sun-dried tomato pesto, pepperoncini, basil, parmesan, roasted peppers, and three layers of meat: prosciutto, spicy salami, and pepperoni. Add provolone and arugula tossed with Italian dressing, and you’re done. It’s the Italian salad-stuffed sandwich, and it’s DELICIOUS – exactly what your summer needs!
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I don’t know why, but I’m feeling like making so many sandwiches this summer. It’s the summer of delicious sandwiches, and I swear it’s because I like to torture myself. Every time I develop a new sandwich recipe for you all, I struggle to capture the deliciousness of the sandwich.
This sandwich took some effort, but it was worth it because, holy freaking YUM, this sandwich is good. It’s probably my favorite summer sandwich to date, I’m excited!!
My thinking was that Father’s Day is this weekend, and we’re all looking for easy (but still yummy) dishes to serve at our parties. When I was a kid, all summer parties had a few good (usually store-bought) sandwich options, along with lots of chips, dips, burgers, and grilled chicken.
We made a lot of burgers growing up, but the Costco sandwiches were not to be dismissed. Even though they came from the store, they’d always get eaten.
This is hopefully way better than a Costco sandwich, but it’s where I drew my initial inspiration from.
I wanted to make the yummiest sandwich, but was craving my Italian chopped salad. So basically, I put my favorite salad inside a crusty loaf of ciabatta. And you all, it turned out SO GOOD, you’ll crave this sandwich all summer long!
Let’s Chat Details
Step 1: Make the Dressing
I like to make a paired-down Italian dressing for this. If you don’t want to fuss with making dressing, just use your favorite store-bought Italian dressing.
To make mine, shake up extra virgin olive oil with champagne vinegar, fig preserves (or honey), garlic, thyme, salt, and chili flakes.
Nothing too fancy.
Step 2: grill the bread
Slice a loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise, then rub with the oil based dressing. Grill each half until char marks appear.
You could also toast the bread in the oven, but I love the flavor from the grill.
Step 3: layer your sandwich together
Next, all you have to do is layer the sandwich ingredients.
Start with pesto. I use sun-dried tomato pesto, which is delish and available at places like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. You can also make your own. If sun-dried tomato pesto is not available, or you would just prefer it, use basil pesto.
Then layer on the pepperoncini, basil, parmesan, and roasted peppers.
Step 4: the meats
I love using prosciutto, spicy salami, and pepperoni. Pepperoni is my favorite, you can never have too much.
Step 5: the cheeses + the greens
Top the meats with the cheese. I use slices of gouda and provolone; Havarti works well too.
Then, finish with a huge handful of arugula tossed up with the Italian dressing.
Add the top piece of ciabatta and give the sandwich a firm push-down to seal everything inside. And that’s it, done. You can slice the sandwich up or wrap it and keep it in the fridge for a day. The longer it sits, the more flavor it will take on. It’s great to make ahead of time and to take to parties!
Looking for other summer sandwich recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Everything Cheddar Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese
Roasted Caprese Burrata Sliders
Grilled Vegetable Burrata Sandwich
Lastly, if you make this Italian Salad Sandwich, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
The Italian Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fig preserves or 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- salt and chili flakes
Sandwich
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup basil or sun-dried tomato pesto
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan
- 2 roasted red/orange peppers, sliced
- 6 slices spicy salami
- 6 slices prosciutto
- 2 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 6 slices havarti, gouda, or provolone cheese
- 3 cups baby arugula
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and chili flakes 2. Preheat the grill or grill pan to high. Rub each half of the bread with some dressing. Grill the bread, cut side down, for 3-5 minutes or until grill marks appear. 3. Spread the pesto over the bottom piece of bread. In the following order, layer the pepperoncini, basil, parmesan, and sliced peppers. Drizzle with the dressing. Layer the prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, and cheese slices. Add the arugula and toss with the dressing. Add the top piece of ciabatta. Push down on the sandwich. 4. Cut into 6 sandwiches. You can also wrap the uncut sandwich tightly and place it in the fridge for up to 1 day before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This sandwich exceeded my expectations and was really delicious next-day leftovers too! I never used ciabatta bread before but it was perfect for this. I couldn’t find spicy salami but the kind of salami i found worked out perfectly. All the flavors together made this sandwich really tasty.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Rebecca,
Thank you so much! I am thrilled to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you! Thanks for giving it a try!
Wow wow wow! This sandwich is amazing. The dressing in particular is what makes the whole thing come together. Can’t wait to use that dressing on salads! I did add some homemade pickled red onions for a little extra bite. Can’t wait to make this one again.
Hey Marisa,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a hit! xxT
It was a 10. I could not have found a better sandwich in a restaurant. It has now taken the front page of my recipe binder. Thank you for making our day excellent!
Hey Kristi,
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Labor Day! xT
This is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. I did not know when my son would be arriving after a 10 hour drive, so I made this sandwich because it keeps so well and it was a huge hit. We make our own bread french crusty bread which worked beautifully. Thank you!!
Thanks so much, Mary!! Love to hear that you have been enjoying this sandwich, I appreciate you making it! xT
Delicious! I used spicy salami and rosemary ham (instead of the prosciutto). Served with braised chickpeas and zucchini. Yum!!
Hey Amy,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! x
So good! My family thought I bought it from a fancy deli!
Hi Nina,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xT
If you deselect the “coupon” button at the top of the page, that should go away!
What would be the best vinegar to sub for champagne vinegar? It’s so pricey!
Hey Laramie,
White wine vinegar would also work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Is there a way to remove all the ads from the recipe to print? I have to say, this is a big turn off. There are so many popups and ads on y0ur site already, and that’s fine, because I love your recipes, but now they’re on the printed page? It makes me feel like your fans are just dollar signs for you.
Hey Aimee,
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. There should not be any ads on the page when you print. I just tested this specific recipe and didn’t have any ads on the printed page. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! Sorry for any frustration! xx
It’s still showing an ad in the middle but it changes the item each time. Kerrygold butter, etc. Does this generate extra revenue?
This is definitely one of the best sandwiches ever. I bought too much meat so we had it 2 days in a row and my husband and I are still talking about how good it is. I did make my own red pesto and dressing and we made our own bread. Definitely a keeper!!!
Hi Mary,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xx
Super delicious! Best I’ve ever had! My husband was so excited.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Sunday! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it and your comment! Xx
Your new print engine “Jupiter” is non-functional. I could not get it to print anything. IT needs to look at this
Hi Russell,
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! I just tested printing this recipe and it worked just fine. Let me know if you give it another try, I hope it works for you! xT
Went right home and made these for dinner. Delicious!!
Hey Claire,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
Just made this for a picnic today! Sneaked a bite and YUM. Great idea and so delicious. The arugula in the dressing puts it over the top.
Hey Kathy,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well for you! Xx
I don’t usually crave sandwiches at 8:30am but you have outdone yourself with this one. 😋 What a perfect casual summer recipe! I will be making this for my husband this week, and I can’t wait to watch him tear into it. Please keep these easy, oven-free summer meals coming. They are all a huge hit in my family! ❤️
Lol thank you so much, Jen:) I hope your family loves this recipe! Have a great week! xT