Italian Grinder Salad (Chopped Deli Salad)

A large bowl of Italian grinder salad with a fork and fresh cherry tomatoes on the side.

5 from 1 vote

Italian Grinder Salad (Chopped Deli Salad)

Bright, zesty, and full of crunch, this Italian grinder salad is the perfect summer salad. It will steal your heart and be your go-to all season long.

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: Servings

Calories: 374kcal

Author: Jessica

Ingredients

6 cups Iceburg Lettuce shredded
200 grams Cold Cuts chopped (I use a mix of sweet capocollo, mortadella, and prosciutto cotto)
1 cup Cucumber diced
½ cup Cherry Tomatoes diced
2-3 Dill Pickles diced
½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded

Creamy Vinaigrette Dressing

⅓ cup Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Pickle Juice
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

Creamy Vinaigrette Dressing

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, extra virgin olive oil, pickle juice, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Making The Salad

In a large mixing bowl, add the iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, pickles, cucumber, parmesan cheese, and cold cuts (see notes below on heating cold cuts). Pour the prepared creamy vinaigrette dressing over the top and, using a pair of tongs, mix the salad to evenly distribute all of the ingredients and the dressing. Serve immediatley.

Notes

A note on heating cold cuts - This is completely optional, but I prefer to heat my cold cuts in a frying pan for a few minutes before chopping and adding them to the salad. To heat the cold cuts, add the pieces of meat into a non-stick frying pan and heat over medium heat for about 1 minute on each side. Transfer the heated cold cuts to a cutting board and chop them up. Doing this kills any potential bacteria like Listeria. Heating the meat past 165°F will deactivate any potentially harmful bacteria.

Use any combination of deli meats that you like. Some ideas are spicy pepperoni, salami, and honey ham. Roasted chicken or shredded turkey also makes great meat toppings for this salad.
Turn this salad into a sandwich or a wrap. Prepare as instructed and stuff a flour tortilla or hoagie roll with the salad for a grinder sandwich!
Make it spicy by adding pickled jalapeno, banana peppers or pepperoncini to the salad.
Prepared grinder salad does not store well. To make the salad ahead of time, store the lettuce, toppings and dressing in 3 separate containers until you are ready to eat.

Nutrition