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Italian Cold Cut Sandwich is loaded with cured meats, cheese, lettuce, tomato and pepperoncini's for a quick meal that's filling and full of flavor.
A few weeks ago Tom and I were in the grocery store together (a rarity!) and he said that we should pick up lunch for the next day. The deli at the grocery store sells a ton of prepared salads and sandwiches. Tom grabbed the 20" Italian Cold Cut and I figured why not, we'll have leftovers for the rest of the weekend.
Since then, I've made Italian subs about five times. When you need a quick, easy and filling dinner; an Italian sub is totally the way to go. It does require a few ingredients, but it takes no time at all to put together a sandwich. Add some chips and a pickle and you're good to go!
My favorite part of this sandwich is all of the spicy ingredients. But of course you can skip those entirely. I found a spicy sandwich spread made with hot cherry peppers in the condiment aisle not too long ago. It's delicious on this sandwich, as are the sliced pepperoncinis. You might be able to find the pepperoncinis already sliced in a jar. Otherwise, cut off the stem and slice into thin rounds. Keeping the seeds in is optional.
WHAT IS A COLD CUT SANDWICH?
"Cold Cut" refers to the deli or luncheon meats that you can purchase from the deli section of the grocery store. Literally translated, "cold cut" is cold, cooked or processed meats.
WHAT IS AN ITALIAN COLD CUT?
The name of the sandwich varies by where you live. You may know this sandwich as a sub, a grinder, a hero or a hoagie. Regardless of what you call it; what makes it an Italian sandwich remains the same. Cured meats, such as genoa salami, mortadella, prosciutto, deli ham and sopressata can all make an appearance on a cold cut.
Mozzarella and provolone cheese are also included (sometimes both!). Vegetables include lettuce, thick slices of tomato, onion and even sometimes olives. Sliced pepperoncinis, spicy sandwich spread, chopped cherry peppers, can all be added to a cold cut. A combination of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and dried oregano are whisked together and spread over the bread as a condiment.
The sandwich was invented by a baker in Maine, back in the early 1900's. He was selling bread from his cart when dockworkers asked for him to add meat, cheese and vegetables to his rolls. Isn't that crazy? This guy was just selling bread. Some dockworkers were hungry. They made a suggestion, he followed through and we're still eating this sandwich over 100 years later.
WHAT KIND OF BREAD DO YOU USE FOR AN ITALIAN COLD CUT?
A good hearty sub roll! Or, if you're making this for a bunch of people, use a full loaf of Italian bread. You need enough bread to handle holding all of the ingredients. I still have a problem where I load so many ingredients on a sandwich that the bread struggles to hold it all in!
CAN I EAT THE SANDWICH HOT?
Sure, it's just no longer called a cold cut. In that case, I'd call it a baked Italian sandwich. To serve it hot, assemble as directed below and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bread is slightly toasty.
ITALIAN COLD CUT SANDWICH INGREDIENTS
- Bread:4-6 inch long sub rolls
- Cured Meats:genoa salami, sopressata, deli ham
- Cheeses:sliced provolone and mozzarella cheese
- Veggies: lettuce, tomato, sliced pepperoncini
- Condiments: spicy sandwich spread, dried oregano, olive oil & vinegar
ITALIAN COLD CUT SANDWICH DIRECTIONS
- Slice the bread almost all of the way through.
- Whisk the olive oil, vinegar and oregano together. Spread on both sides of the bread. Top with spicy sandwich spread (optional)
- Layer one slice of each cheese on the bread, followed by two slices of each meat.
- Top with shredded lettuce, tomato slices and sliced pepperoncini
- Drizzle additional olive oil and vinegar mixture on top
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Recipe
Italian Cold Cut Sandwich
Italian Cold Cut Sandwich is loaded with cured meats, cheese, lettuce, tomato and pepperoncini's for a quick meal that's filling and full of flavor.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Total Time15 minutes mins
Course: Sandwich
Keyword: Grinder, Hoagie, Italian Cold Cut Sub, Italian Hero, Italian Sub
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Calories: 582kcal
Author: NicholeL
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 4-6 inch long sub rolls
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 12 slices genoa salami
- 12 slices deli ham
- 12 slices sopressata
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 8 thick slices tomato
- pepperoncinis sliced and/or hot sandwich spread
Instructions
In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Slice open, but not all the way through, 4 sub rolls.
Drizzle the olive oil & vinegar mixture on the inside of each sub roll. If using, spread a thin layer of the spicy sandwich spread on one half of the bread.
Layer one slice of each cheese onto the bottom part of the sandwich. Follow with 2-3 slices each of the genoa salami, deli ham and sopressata.
Add shredded lettuce and 2 tomato slices. Add sliced pepperonicini, if desired.
Close up the sandwich and enjoy!
Notes
This sandwich may also be toasted. Place assembled sandwich on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.6g | Protein: 39.2g | Fat: 35.7g | Saturated Fat: 14.7g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 2439mg | Fiber: 3.7g | Sugar: 2.9g
