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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 youโre done. Itโs the Italian salad-stuffed sandwich, and itโs DELICIOUS โ exactly what your summer needs!
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I donโt know why, but Iโm feeling like making so many sandwiches this summer. Itโs the summer of delicious sandwiches, and I swear itโs 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. Itโs probably my favorite summer sandwich to date, Iโm excited!!
My thinking was that Fatherโs Day is this weekend, and weโre 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, theyโd always get eaten.
This is hopefully way better than a Costco sandwich, but itโs 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, youโll crave this sandwich all summer long!
Letโs Chat Details
Step 1: Make the Dressing
I like to make a paired-down Italian dressing for this. If you donโt 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 Joeโs 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 thatโs 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. Itโs 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, donโt forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
The Italian Salad Sandwich
Ingredientsย
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
Instructionsย
- 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.ย 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 recipe was so delicious for dinner! Formed an assembly line of ingredients and made a bunch of sandwiches at once, including one for my husbandโs lunch the next day. Everyone really liked them and this will be added to our rotation. Would be awesome for a picnic, tooโฆ Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Stephanie,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it. Have the best week!
Made this today for lunch and they were delicious! Ciabatta rolls are very hard to find here so I used some that were a little softer and an oblong shape – they worked out perfectly. I did toast them in my grill pan on the stove and it was just enough to crisp them up and give them some nice grill marks. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe…
Hey Chris,
Amazing! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it!
Have a great 4th of July weekend!
Tiegan if I prep these day in advance do I wrap in plastic or foil?
Hey Debra,
Either one would work nicely for you! I hope you love this sandwich, please let me know if you give it a try!
Everyone in the family enjoyed their ow variation of this sandwich. It was so easy to put together on a weeknight. We will have it on repeat.
Hey Jennie,
Amazing! Thank you so much for making this recipe, so glad it turned out well!
Happy Easter!
I really enjoy your recipes! And, the comments are helpful. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Helen!
I made this tonight, and the compliments flowed like wine. Best sandwich any of us have ever had. Iโve had plenty of Italian style sandwiches, but THIS is the one. Thank you for this delicious addition to the dinner rotation!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome! So glad this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Monday!
The dressing is so undeniably delicious that it’ll be a staple in the fridge for salads and dipping. The ingredients for the sandwich was a great combo and we ended up making ours with a twist. We chopped up all the ingredients for the sandwich into bite sized pieces (much like a salad) and layered it on the ciabatta bread with the dressing drizzled on top. It was one of the best sandwiches either of us have had.
Hi Tracy,
Thanks so much for making this dish and your comment, love to hear it was a winner!
I used this recipe for a family gathering I was hosting and it was a hit! Iโve never liked Italian sandwiches, however I could not get over how delicious this was. The dressing was marvelous. Only tweek I added was also using capicola, adding some diced tomatos and red onions. Overall an awesome recipe!
Hey Judi,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your notes, so glad it was a winner!
Hi, any fillings to make it a hearty vegetarian sandwich? Tia
Hey Angela,
Here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/marinated-veggie-cheese-sandwich/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/california-rainbow-veggie-sub-with-goddess-dressing-bbq-kale-chips/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/havarti-avocado-sandwich/
I hope this helps!
Hi! I was going to prep these for a Halloween party we are hosting. The Shwarma sandwich looked good as well but would u suggest for preparing earlier in the day
Hi Jen,
Sure! I would just make this a day in advance then wrap in foil. I hope this helps!
I just made The Italian Salad Sandwich and itโs really tasty!
Thank you so so much Jenny! So glad you’re loving this sandwich! ๐ xT
Hi Tieghan, hope all is well! I don’t eat pork but would love to make this sandwich! Just reading about it makes me feel like it would be a wonderful summer recipe. Could you please tell me what would be a preferred substitute option for the meat and how I should prep it. Also a sub for champagne vinegar would be appreciated! Thanks in advance and have a beautiful week ahead!
Hi Tahniat,
I would honestly try another sandwich:) Here are some other great summer recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/havarti-avocado-sandwich/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chicken-avocado-sandwich/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sun-dried-tomato-pesto-turkey-sandwich/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chicken-shawarma-havarti-sandwich/
I hope this helps! xx
Tysm for the advice Tieghan!
Hey where do we roast the peppers?
Hi Joy,
You can just buy roasted peppers at the grocery store to make life easier. Otherwise, just roast your peppers before assembling the sandwich. I hope you love this recipe!
I roast mine in a pan on top of the stove with olive oil and seasonings or in the oven with some olive oil. Delicious.
So good!!
Hey Tammy,
Happy Monday! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xx