Italian Grinder Sliders (+Video)
Sweet slider rolls are stuffed with deli meats, cheeses, and more, plus a stellar dressing that makes these Italian Grinder Sliders over-the-top delicious!
FANTASTIC SLIDERS IN 15 MINUTES
If you are looking for seriously show stopping food at your next tailgating or football watching party, this is it! For those of you who love my Italian Grinder Pasta Salad and the famous Tik Tok Italian Grinder Sandwich, you are going to absolutely love this one. With a flavorful combination of Italian meats, cheeses, seasonings, and the absolute best dressing in the world, these mini sandwiches will definitely be a hit. They may be a little messy but trust me when I say the dressing is what sets these sliders apart from any others you’ve had. Please don’t let the amount of ingredients steer you away. You probably have a lot of those seasonings in your pantry right now and can whip this up faster than you think!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Of course you don’t! You use any type of meat that you enjoy and use as little or as much as you like. The meats I use in this are really just a suggestion and not a rule for this to turn out delicious.
Just like the meat, you can trade out the cheese choices. Other good ideas to try would be sliced or fresh mozzarella. Or if your gang doesn’t like cheese, just leave it off.
Absolutely! Instead of sliders, you can make regular size subs or use hoagie rolls to make some Italian Grinder sandwiches. You may end up needing to use more meat and cheese, or just make fewer, larger sandwiches.
I don’t think you’ll have leftovers, but if you do, store leftover sliders in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The longer the sliders sit, the soggier they’ll get. The dressing and juices from the tomatoes will soak into the bread and will become soggy. You should not freeze these sliders.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- mayonnaise – for me, it has to be the full fat mayonnaise but you just want to use the mayonnaise you enjoy eating.
- olive oil and white wine vinegar – you could swap the white wine vinegar out for red wine vinegar or white vinegar if needed.
- grated parmesan and Romano cheeses – to save yourself some time, you can buy the prepackaged shredded parmesan and Romano cheeses. Also, look for the packages that have the Parmesan and Romano cheeses already mixed together. You could also use the grated stuff (in the green bottle) but I would probably only use about 3 Tablespoons of that (you can add more if you feel it needs more.)
- lemon juice – For this dressing, I really recommend fresh squeezed. The bottled stuff can many times have a really off taste to it and it will throw off the entire flavoring of this delicious dressing.
- fresh garlic– minced fresh garlic is what makes this! Fresh will bring the most flavor. If you must use garlic powder, use about a teaspoon.
- honey – if you don’t have honey, just leave it out. You don’t need to replace it with anything.
- fresh chopped basil and parsley – you can use dried here – about 1/4 teaspoon each.
- dried oregano, dried thyme, onion powder– If you prefer, instead of using basil, parsley, oregano and thyme – you can substitute all of those for Italian seasoning. Start with a teaspoon, then add more to taste.
- tomato, onion and lettuce – if you aren’t a fan of any of these, just leave them out. We add a bit of dressing to all of these toppings but you can just spread the dressing on the top and bottom buns if you are unable to use these toppings.
- Hawaiian rolls – you can use the sweet Hawaiian rolls or the butter ones. I think the sweet adds a nice contrast to the salty flavors in the meat.
- provolone cheese – it does not have to be provolone, it could be mozzarella, gouda or whatever you enjoy.
- deli sliced pepperoni, salami, capocollo and soppressata – see my FAQ’s above, you do not have to use all of these – use the amount and type of meat you enjoy.
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN GRINDER SLIDERS
Start with the dressing: In a medium-sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, olive oil, white wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, lemon juice, garlic, honey, basil, parsley, oregano, onion powder, and thyme. Whisk them all together until well blended.
Take another medium-sized bowl and place the sliced tomatoes and onions in it. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the dressing to the bowl and gently toss to mix everything evenly. In a separate medium-sized bowl, put the shredded lettuce. Add 1-2 more Tablespoons of the dressing, adjusting to your taste, and toss the lettuce until it’s coated evenly with the dressing.
Cut the rolls in half. Place the bottom half with the cut side facing up and spread a portion of the dressing on it, smoothing it out (note: there is no set amount to use here, just use as little or as much of the dressing as you would like.)
Layer on the provolone, pepperoni, salami, capocollo, and soppressata on top of the dressing. Add the tomatoes and onions from the first bowl, followed by the dressed lettuce. Finish assembling the sliders by placing the other half of the rolls on top.
To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the assembled sandwich into individual sliders. Serve them immediately and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Italian Grinder Pasta Salad
- Pizza Pull-Apart Sliders (+Video)
- French Dip Sliders (+Video)
- Garlic Bread Italian Sliders
- Honey Mustard Ham Sliders
- Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sliders
- Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
- Leftover Thanksgiving Sliders
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
Italian Grinder Sliders (+Video)
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons grated romano cheese
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon fresh chopped basil
- ½ teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
For assembly:
- 1 small beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
- ½ small sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 pack (12 count) Hawaiian rolls
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- ¼ pound sliced deli size pepperoni
- ¼ pound sliced genoa salami
- ¼ cup deli sliced capocollo
- ¼ cup deli sliced soppressata
Instructions
- Start with the dressing: In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, 2 Tablespoons grated romano cheese, 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped basil, 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Whisk them all together until well blended.
- Take another medium-sized bowl and add in 1 small beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced and 1/2 small sweet onion, thinly sliced in it. Add about 2-3 Tablespoons of the dressing to the bowl and gently toss to mix everything evenly.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, put in 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce. Add 1-2 more Tablespoons of the dressing, adjusting to your taste, and toss the lettuce until it's coated evenly with the dressing.
- Cut 1 pack (12 count) Hawaiian rolls in half. Place the bottom half with the cut side facing up and spread a portion of the dressing on it, smoothing it out (note: there is no set amount to use here, just use as little or as much of the dressing as you would like.)
- Layer on 6 slices provolone cheese, 1/4 pound sliced deli size pepperoni, 1/4 pound sliced genoa salami, 1/4 cup deli sliced capocollo and 1/4 cup deli sliced soppressata on top of the dressing.
- Add the tomatoes and onions from the first bowl, followed by the dressed lettuce.
- Finish assembling the sliders by placing the other half of the rolls on top.
- To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the assembled sandwich into individual sliders. Serve them immediately. They are a little bit messy but so worth it!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You do not have to use these particular meats and cheeses and you can use as little or as much as you like.
- See my ingredient list above for substitutions.
- I try to make the sauces for all of my different grinder recipes a little different so it’s not all the same exact tastes for those of you who are making all of them. But, having said that, if you really like the dressing in the Tik Tok Grinder Sandwich, feel free to use that here. The dressing for the Italian Grinder Pasta Salad would have to be made just a little bit thicker to use on this sandwich.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
These are UNBELIEVABLY good! A little messy to eat but that is always expected when eating a sandwich with toppings and dressing. Everyone wished I had made more. Thanks so much!
These are flipping amazing!! All of it is perfection! The dressing is absolutely glorious! We made it for a gathering and I honestly wish I would’ve made double – people couldn’t stop eating them and everyone wanted the recipe. I didn’t use a lot of meat, mainly ham, salami and pepperoni but I think you can use any combo of your favorite meats and cheese – it’s the dressing that makes it. 🙂