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 Jersey Mike’s 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
Made this recipe and loved it?!
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This Italian Sub in a Tub is a fresh, no-cook chopped sub salad made with deli meats, crisp lettuce, veggies, and a simple homemade dressing. Inspired by deli-style favorites, it’s perfect for an easy lunch, light dinner, or meal prep.
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup black olives, halved
- 4 ounces smoked turkey deli meat, diced
- 4 ounces smoked ham deli meat, diced
- 4 ounces provolone cheese, diced
- 2 ounces genoa salami, diced
- 2 ounces 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 4 cups iceberg lettuce, 1 cup black olives, 4 ounces smoked turkey deli meat, 4 ounces smoked ham deli meat, 4 ounces provolone cheese, 2 ounces genoa salami, 2 ounces pepperoni, 2 roma tomatoes, ½ red onion, and ¼ cup 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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Thomas says
A quick, lighter option that’s especially good in warm weather. Easy to customize with different meats, cheeses, or veggies, and it works great for meal prep since it stays fresh for several days.
Amanda says
This is easy and refreshing. Nice after a warm day. Will definitely keep it in my rotation of meals. Even my husband loved it.
Erin Jensen says
Yay!! that is so awesome to hear, Amanda!! Thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!
Bridget says
The perfect summer salad! Thank you so much!!