Quick Look at this Sub in a Tub Salad Recipe
- Ready In: 20 minutes + no cooking!
- Serves: 4
- Main Ingredients: lettuce, deli meats, tomato, onion, black olives, peperoncini, and a homemade Italian dressing!
- Dietary Info: gluten-free, dairy-free friendly
- Best For: light & fresh dinner, lunch, meal prep, side salads
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Here’s Why I Keep Coming Back to This Recipe
- No cooking required – just chop, mix, and eat – perfect for when it is hot out!
- All the flavor of an Italian sub without the heaviness
- Perfect for meal prep – stays fresh for days
- Customizable with your favorite meats, cheeses, or veggies
- Bowl for Dinner it reminds of my fav Burger Bowl Salad, but for subs! Always a hit with the fam.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Deli Meats – our grocery store always has a variety of Kretschmar deli meats and I love adding a variety for the best depth of flavor!
- Provolone Cheese – Adds that creamy, slightly sharp bite. Omit for dairy-free or swap with mozzarella.
- Iceberg Lettuce – feel free to use romaine lettuce or mixed greens, but there is just something about that crunch of iceberg that is so good.
- Peperoncini + Olives – Don’t skip these! They bring the tangy, briny flavor that makes this taste like a true deli-style sub.
- Dressing – mix up 5 simple ingredients for this super simple homemade salad dressing!
How To Make an Italian A Sub In A Tub
Step 1 – Chop all salad ingredients into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2 – Add dressing ingredients to a jar and shake until combined.
Pro Tip
Use a vegetable chopper to get evenly sized pieces quickly—this makes a big difference in texture and gives you that chopped-sub feel.
Step 3 – Divide salad into bowls or containers and drizzle with dressing right before serving.
Meal Prep Tips
This recipe is made for meal prep.
- Store dressing separately to keep lettuce crisp
- Prep everything ahead and portion into meal prep containers (shown here).
- Keeps well in the fridge for up to 3–4 days
- Add dressing right before eating for best texture
How to Customize + Variations
- Add banana peppers or roasted red peppers
- Swap in grilled chicken breasts (or grilled chicken thighs) for a different protein
- Toss in cooked pasta for a heartier salad (cooked orzo pasta or cooked acini di pepe would be great)
- Add chickpeas for extra fiber
- Make it spicy with crushed red pepper or spicy salami
Sub in a Tub Recipe FAQs
What is a Sub in a Tub?
It’s everything you love about a sub sandwich—meat, cheese, toppings, and dressing—served as a chopped salad instead of on bread.
Is this like the Jimmy John’s Unwich or Sub in a Tub?
Yes! This is a homemade version inspired by those low-carb deli-style options.
How do you keep it from getting soggy?
Store the dressing separately and add it right before serving.
Other Easy Italian Recipes You Might Like
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This Italian Sub in a Tub is a homemade version of the popular Jimmy John’s sub in a tub. It’s a fresh, chopped Italian salad made with deli meats, crisp lettuce, veggies, and a simple Italian dressing—perfect for an easy, no-cook meal.
Ingredients
- 4 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup black olives, halved
- 4 ounces Kretschmar Applewood Smoked Turkey, diced
- 4 ounces Kretschmar Black Forest Ham, diced
- 4 ounces Kretschmar Provolone Cheese, diced
- 2 ounces Kretschmar Genoa Salami, diced
- 2 ounces Kretschmar Pepperoni, diced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- ¼ cup peperoncini, sliced
Dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese, grated (more for garnish, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more, to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make Salad: In a large bowl or 4 individual bowls/containers, divide the chopped lettuce, halved olives, diced turkey, diced ham, diced provolone cheese, diced salami, diced pepperoni, diced tomatoes, red onion, and peperoncini.
- Make Dressing: In a mason jar, add ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Secure the lid on top and shake. Alternatively, this dressing can be whisked together in a small bowl.
- Serve: Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to coat and enjoy right away with a little parmesan cheese on top! (Note: If meal prepping, wait on the dressing until ready to serve)
Notes
- Chopping: make life easier and use a veggie chopper for this salad!
- Dressing: highly recommend making the basic sub in a tub dressing noted in the recipe card (it is a more simple version of our hearty Italian dressing), but a store-bought dressing could also be used. Just be sure to add right before serving. We also have a creamy Italian dressing if that sounds better.
- Dairy-Free: omit the parmesan cheese or use a dairy-free alternative – I like the Violife dairy-free cheeses.
- What to Serve With: still want some bread – our grilled bread would go great with this!
Calories 638kcal
Nutrition
Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 33g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 2258mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1040IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 2mg
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Bridget says
The perfect summer salad! Thank you so much!!