Quick and easy to prepare, these Chopped Italian Sub Sandwiches are filled with bite-sized pieces of Italian meats, cheese and veggies tossed with a creamy dressing for the perfect bite every time!
Friends, there's a reason why these sandwiches went viral on Tiktok a while back. This is, hands down, the absolute best way to make an Italian sub!
I don't know who posted the original, but a big thanks to whoever you are.
Once I tried this sensational sandwich, I realized that I had been making Italian hoagies wrong for my whole life (all cold hoagies, actually, because you can make any of them this way). Chopped Italian hoagies are the way to go!
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And to my husband who was totally on to this idea long before it became a thing: Yes, you told me so. Many, many times. And you were right!
You see, with any kind of traditional layered sub, he always complained about not getting everything into one bite. He always said, "You should just mix everything up and then put it on the bun."
Although I resisted for quite some time, I finally decided to give this technique a try. I've never looked back!
My version has salami, pepperoni, capicola, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pepperoncini all chopped up and mixed together with mayonnaise, Italian salad dressing, oregano, salt, and pepper and piled into sub rolls.
Italian hoagies have always been my favorite, and I love them this way even more. And it made David (finally) love them too. He never really wanted them before, but now he asks for them!
So if you've never heard of or tried this method and you love Italian subs, make them soon. They're great for lunch or as a sandwich-night supper!
Ingredients You Need
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Iceberg lettuce
- Red onion
- Tomato
- Pepperoncini
- Capicola
- Hard Salami
- Pepperoni
- Provolone cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Italian salad dressing (use your favorite)
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Hoagie/sub rolls (about 8 inches long)
Special Equipment Needed
- Large cutting board (the one I use is about 11x16 inches)
- Large knife
How to Make Chopped Italian Sub Sandwiches
Note: This is just a brief overview of the steps. For the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions, please go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
1: Place the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pepperoncini on a large cutting board.
2: Lay the slices of capicola, hard salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese on top of the lettuce mixture.
3: Using a large knife, chop the veggies, meats and cheese until you have small bite-sized pieces of each of the ingredients.
4: Place the chopped mixture into a large bowl; add the mayonnaise, Italian salad dressing, oregano, and pepper.
5: Mix until well-combined and everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and add salt, if needed.
6: Divide the mixture evenly between two 8-inch sub rolls. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tidbits
- The bread is just as important as the filling, so be sure to use really good and fresh sub rolls.
- You'll definitely need a larger cutting board to comfortably chop all of the ingredients together at one time without making a mess. The one I use is about 11x16 inches, and it works just fine. A large, sharp knife also helps make the chopping easier.
- You can mix the mayonnaise, Italian dressing and seasonings into the chopped meat, cheese and veggie mixture right on the cutting board if you don't want to dirty a bowl. I just find it easier to mix everything together in a big bowl with a spoon.
- The quantities for most of the ingredients in this recipe are given in weight (ounces) to keep things consistent since sizes can vary, but I've also given approximations in cups, slices, etc. in the event you don't have a scale.
- This recipe is very versatile. Feel free to add, omit or adjust ingredients to suit your own personal tastes.
- You can lightly toast the rolls if you'd like (not too much, though, as you don't want them to dry out too much and fall apart!).
- This recipe makes 2 sandwiches, but you can easily scale the recipe down or up to make as many as you need.
Substitutions & Variations
- Romaine lettuce can be used instead of iceberg.
- White or yellow onion can be used instead of red onion.
- Banana peppers, sweet cherry peppers and/or hot cherry peppers can be used instead of pepperoncini.
- Your favorite deli ham can be used instead of capicola.
- Use the filling to make wraps or sliders instead of sub-style sandwiches.
- The meat, cheese and veggie mixture is also excellent as an Italian hoagie dip! Serve it with toasted baguette slices/crostini.
- You could even serve the mixture as an Italian antipasto-style chopped salad with or without croutons. Yum!
- Use this same method to make any of your favorite cold subs and sandwiches!
Make Ahead & Storing Leftovers
These sandwiches are best when made fresh right before serving. I always recommend making only as much as you plan on eating in one sitting.
Make Ahead
That being said, if you wanted to do a little bit of prep ahead of time, you certainly can.
Make the chopped meat and veggie mixture but don't add the dressing ingredients (you can mix these together in another bowl). Store the filling and the dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to a day.
Mix the filling and dressing and put it in the buns right before serving (never pre-assemble the sandwiches and store them, as the bread will become soggy).
Storing Leftovers
Once the filling mixture has been dressed, the clock begins ticking on those veggies staying fresh. The longer they sit in the dressing, the more water they will release and the softer they will become, especially the lettuce.
If you end up with leftover filling, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within a day for the best quality. Spoon it into the rolls right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Since there's a lot going on in these sandwiches, I think a simple side is best so you don't have too many competing flavors.
My choice is potato chips...because, honestly, I just can't have a sandwich without chips (and it means no cooking). But you could also serve them with a side of French fries.
Love Italian Hoagies? Also try my Turkey Italian Hoagie.
I hope you try this Chopped Italian Sub Sandwiches recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Chopped Italian Sub Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 ounces iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped (about 1½ cups)
- 1½ ounces red onion, sliced (about ¼ of a small onion or about ½ cup sliced)
- 4 ounces tomatoes, sliced (about ½ cup), I use 2 Campari tomatoes
- 1 ounce pepperoncini peppers, roughly chopped (about 2 to 3 larger pepperoncini)
- 1 ounce capicola, sliced (about 2 slices)
- 1 ounce hard salami, sliced (about 3 slices)
- 1 ounce pepperoni, sliced (about 5 or 6 sandwich-sized slices or about 15 regular-sized slices)
- 2 ounces provolone cheese, sliced (about 2 slices)
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing, use your favorite
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 8-inch hoagie/sub rolls
Special Equipment
- large cutting board (the one I use is about 11x16 inches)
- large knife
Instructions
- Place the lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and pepperoncini on a large cutting board.
- Lay the slices of capicola, salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese on top of the lettuce mixture.
- Using a large knife, chop the veggies, meats and cheese until you have small bite-sized pieces of each ingredient.
- Place the chopped mixture into a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, Italian dressing, oregano, and pepper; mix until everything is well-combined and evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and add salt if needed (you may not need to add any depending on the saltiness of your other ingredients).Alternately, if you don't want to dirty a bowl, you can leave the chopped mixture on the cutting board, add the mayonnaise, dressing, oregano, and pepper on top, and then mix everything right on the cutting board. I just find it easier and less messy using a bowl and spoon.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 sub rolls.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- The quantities for most of the ingredients in this recipe are given in weight (ounces) to keep things more consistent since sizes can vary, but I've also given approximations in cups, slices, etc. in the event you don't have a scale.
- This recipe is very versatile. Feel free to add, omit or adjust ingredients to suit your own personal tastes.
- This recipe makes 2 sandwiches, but you can easily scale the recipe down or up to make as many as you need.
- Please refer to the post for additional recipe tips, substitutions and variations, serving suggestions, and information on making ahead and storing leftovers.
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