Let’s make the viral TikTok Grinder Salad, which by the way, is every bit as delicious at it sounds! You’ll need a large mason jar — the entire salad is assembled ahead of time, making for an easy on-the-go lunch that’s perfect for meal prep.
What’s in a grinder salad? It’s essentially an antipasto salad. We recommend crispy lettuce, such as Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce, Italian salami and provolone cheese, and then any of your favorite antipasto ingredients. For us, that includes banana peppers, green olives, pepperoncini peppers, and oregano. We’re also adding chickpeas! Give everything a quick chop, which makes it easier to assemble in a mason jar. Dress it with a classic Italian dressing or our Basil Vinaigrette, which is so light and fresh!
You can easily turn this into grinder salad sandwiches! After tossing everything in a large bowl, pile high onto hoagie rolls with a generous spread of mayo. Totally delicious!
Be sure to check out all of our easy salad recipes! And if this grinder salad recipe sounds like something you’d love, consider trying our Antipasto Salad or these festive Antipasto Skewers next!
This post was sponsored by Little Leaf Farms. All opinions are my own. I only support and promote brands that I believe in and use in my own kitchen – I hope you’ll check them out! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Well Seasoned possible.
Ingredient Notes
- Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce: This is the perfect lettuce choice for a grinder salad because of the crunch! Chop it up finely because who doesn’t love a chopped salad!
- Italian salami: We love Italian hard salami, but you can use any Italian cold cut you like.
- Provolone cheese: A sharp, buttery, and nutty cheese that pairs well with Italian salami.
- Banana peppers: These peppers have a sweet, mild taste (they’re definitely not spicy!).
- Green olives: A classic ingredient in Italian salads.
- Chickpeas: For added fiber!
- Pepperoncini peppers: These have an acidic, sweet, peppery taste.
- Fresh or dried oregano: Oregano is often included in Italian salads. Because it’s not already in our salad dressing, we added about ¼ teaspoon to get that flavor.
- Basil vinaigrette: This is our favorite salad dressing, but you can certainly substitute with an Italian vinaigrette or other salad dressing.
You’ll need a cutting board and a sharp knife to give everything a rough chop, but instead of assembling in a large bowl, we’re piling everything into large 32-ounce mason jars. Don’t worry, the ingredients will not get soggy. The key to success is the order in which you layer the salad ingredients.
How To Make A Grinder Salad
- Make the salad dressing! We recommend our Basil Vinaigrette with a little added dried oregano or this homemade Italian vinaigrette (it’s red wine vinegar based with garlic and perfect on our Antipasto salad).
- Assemble the salad in a mason jar. Pour about ¼ cup of the vinaigrette into the mason jar. Then begin adding non-absorbent veggies on the bottom: banana peppers, green olives, and pepperoncini peppers. Next, add the Italian salami and provolone cheese. Finally, place the chopped Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce on top. Seal tightly, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Pour out, toss, then serve. When ready, simply dump the salad out into a large mixing bowl, then use tongs to toss. Taste, adjust seasoning adding Kosher salt and black pepper if wanted, then serve immediately!
FAQs
A grinder salad is a salad that is made with the same ingredients as a grinder sandwich, but without the bread. It typically includes shredded lettuce, deli meat, cheese, vegetables, and a vinaigrette dressing.
Absolutely! Make sure to chop the salad finely before placing in a mason jar, then after tossing with the dressing in a large bowl, pile the salad ingredients onto a hoagie roll with a generous schmear of mayonnaise. Talk about a delicious sub sandwich! If you prefer, you can throw it in a wrap!
Yes! Omit the cheese and it’ll be naturally dairy-free. For a creamy texture, you could add some cubed avocado.
Expert Tips
- Chop all ingredients! This way, when you pour out the salad for serving, you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
- The way you assemble the mason jar salad matters! Always place the salad dressing on the bottom, then layer with non-absorbent ingredients and vegetables, followed by proteins, ending with lettuce.
- Use a hard provolone cheese, not thin slices of provolone. It’ll have a sharper, more pungent taste, which we love with the salami.
- If you plan to add this to sandwiches, do not skip the mayo! It’s not included in the dressing, but it brings the whole sandwich together.
Make-Ahead, Leftovers, & Storage
This Grinder Salad recipe is a dream for meal prep! The whole idea of assembling salads in mason jars is to make lunches and dinners on the go easier. Everything gets prepped ahead of time. When you’re ready to eat, simply shake the salad (the basil dressing is already at the bottom of the jar!), then pour out into a bowl or plate. Easy!
- Make-ahead: Once assembled, store mason jar salads in a fridge for up to 5 days.
- Leftovers: This salad is best enjoyed fresh. Once tossed with the dressing, the lettuce will begin to wilt. You can keep leftovers for up to 2 days in a fridge, but we recommend adding fresh lettuce if you do this. Do not freeze.
Substitutions and Variations
- Italian cold cuts: Don’t want to use salami? You can make this salad with ham, prosciutto, turkey, mortadella, soppressata, coppa — truly any Italian cold cut or deli meat you would find in a grinder sandwich will work!
- Cheese: If you don’t have provolone, consider using chunks of Parmesan cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, or Colby cheese.
- Add more veggies: Red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers!
- Lettuce: You definitely want a crunchy lettuce, which is why we reach for Little Leaf Farms. Their lettuces have the best crunch! Find them at your local grocery store here. If unavailable, consider using iceberg lettuce or chopped romaine lettuce.
- Want it spicier? Add crushed red pepper flakes to the salad dressing or use a spicy coppa or soppressata in place of salami.
This is such a great option for working lunches! Plus, it’s endlessly adaptable. If you make this Grinder Salad recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Viral TikTok Grinder Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup basil vinaigrette
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup banana peppers roughly chopped or left whole
- ¼ cup green olives
- ¼ cup pepperoncini roughly chopped or left whole
- 15 oz canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup Italian salami cut into bite-size pieces or strips
- ¼ cup sharp provolone cheese cut into bite-size pieces or strips
- 4 oz Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce roughly chopped
Instructions
- Make the salad dressing. If you haven't already, make a batch of our Basil Vinaigrette.
- Assemble the mason jar salad. Pour about ¼ cup of the basil vinaigrette into each mason jar. Next, add ½ tsp dried oregano. Begin assembling the ingredients, dividing them equally between each container, keeping non-absorbent veggies on the bottom: banana peppers, green olives, pepperoncini, and canned chickpeas. Next, add the Italian salami and provolone cheese. Finally, place the chopped Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce on top. Seal tightly, then refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Toss, then serve. When ready, dump the contents of the grinder salad into a large bowl. Use tongs to thoroughly mix, then divide between two plates and serve immediately!
Notes
- Make-ahead: Once assembled, store mason jar salads in a fridge for up to 5 days.
- Leftovers: This salad is best enjoyed fresh. Once tossed with the dressing, the lettuce will begin to wilt. You can keep leftovers for up to 2 days in a fridge, but we recommend adding fresh lettuce if you do this. Do not freeze.
How big is the jar?
Hi Robin! The jar size is listed both under equipment (in the recipe card) and in the blog post. You’ll want a 32-ounce mason jar to create 2 servings, though of course you can make larger or smaller jars. Enjoy! xo, Ari