Ingredients (~9 servings)
- 1 1/2 heads iceberg lettuce, shredded or finely sliced
- 3/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes (about 2 1/4 cups whole)
- 1/2 cup pickled banana peppers, drained
- 1 lb deli meat of choice
- 9 oz sliced cheese, chopped (havarti or provolone work great – about 12 slices)
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp calabrian chili paste or pesto (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Prep All Your Vegetables
Start with the lettuce – shred it or slice it thin, whatever you prefer.
Slice the red onion as thin as you can get it; quarter the cherry tomatoes; drain the banana peppers.
You want everything roughly the same size so each bite has a good mix.
Chop the Meat and Cheese Into Small Pieces
Stack the deli meat and cheese together, then slice vertically and horizontally to get small squares or rectangles.
A veggie chopper works great for this if you have one – just saves time.
The goal is bite-sized pieces that distribute evenly through the salad instead of big floppy slices.
Combine Everything in a Large Bowl
You’ll need a really big bowl for this – I sometimes use my stock pot because regular salad bowls aren’t big enough.
Add the lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, banana peppers, chopped meat, chopped cheese, and parmesan.
Use tongs or salad forks to toss everything together until well mixed.
Make the Dressing and Dress the Salad
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, red wine vinegar, calabrian chili paste (if using), garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
Pour about 3/4 of the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Add more dressing if you want it creamier – some people like it really saucy, others prefer it lighter.
This tastes best right away but you can chill it for ~30 minutes if you want it cold.
Grinder Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients (~9 servings)
- 1 1/2 heads iceberg lettuce shredded or finely sliced
- 3/4 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes about 2 1/4 cups whole
- 1/2 cup pickled banana peppers drained
- 1 lb deli meat of choice
- 9 oz sliced cheese havarti or provolone work great – about 12 slices, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp calabrian chili paste or pesto optional
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Shred lettuce and thinly slice red onion. Quarter cherry tomatoes and drain banana peppers.
- Stack deli meat and cheese together, then chop into small bite-sized pieces.
- Combine lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, banana peppers, chopped meat, chopped cheese, and parmesan in a large bowl. Toss to mix.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, calabrian chili paste, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Pour 3/4 of dressing over salad and toss well. Add remaining dressing if desired.
- Serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes before serving.
