Italian Sub Salad tastes like a jam-packed deli sub - minus the bread. This healthy, gluten free entree salad is fresh, filling, and packed with craveable flavor!
Low carb and/or gluten free sub sandwich lovers rejoice, because my Italian Sub Salad tastes just like your favorite deli’s vinegar and oil-drenched, toppings-packed Italian sub, minus the bread.
I don’t know about you but, in my opinion, salads are a lot more fun to eat when there’s salami and banana pepper rings involved!
This sultry salad combo was inspired by my husband, who offered to make us Italian salads for dinner a few weeks ago. He laid out the ingredients – black olives, salami, green onions, lettuce, and tomatoes – then I upped the ante by pulling out a jar of banana peppers from the fridge. We dressed our salads with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil then seasoned them with salt, pepper, and dried oregano before digging in.
The first thing that popped into my mind was ITALIAN SUB SANDWICH. The flavor was unmistakable and, seeing as how I haven’t had an Italian sub in years, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t realize how much I loved a good sub sandwich until I couldn’t eat them anymore on account of having Celiac Disease!
Italian Sub Salad is proof that eating gluten free doesn’t have to mean eating salads consisting of limp lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers for dinner every night. Enjoy and look forward to meal time with bright and fresh meals like this Italian-inspired stunner!
Start by roasting a can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans,) which will add filling protein and fiber to the salad, not to mention a delicious and hearty crunch. We didn’t have these in our original salads but I’m glad I added them when I made them for the blog. They added so much, texture and health-wise.
Drain then rinse the beans and then dry them off really well in a kitchen towel. Pour the beans onto a silpat, parchment paper, or foil-lined baking sheet, toss with extra virgin olive oil and salt, then roast for 35-40 minutes or until deep golden brown. They’ll crisp a bit more as they cool and can be made a couple days ahead of time.
Next add chopped romaine lettuce into a large bowl then use a pizza cutter to cut the lettuce into small, bite-sized pieces. I learned this trick at a build your own salad restaurant a million years ago and have been using it ever since. Down with face-whipping-sized pieces of lettuce!
To the lettuce add all the ingredients that would normally be stuffed inside a big fat Italian roll: salami, sliced black olives, cherry or grape tomatoes, banana pepper rings, and onions (red, white, or green).
We keep this salad dairy-free, but you could add chopped provolone, if you like!
This is the gluten-free salami we love. Boar’s Head also has a wonderful salami!
Squeeze fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil over the salad to mimic the vinegar and oil usually drizzled over an Italian sub. That said, you could use red wine vinegar in place of lemon.
Finally, sprinkle on salt, pepper, and a pinch of dried oregano which completely transforms this salad into an Italian SUB salad. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you smell it,
Divide the salad between two bowls then devour!
More Low Carb, Gluten Free Salads
- Thai Crunch Salad
- Big Mac Salad
- Fajita Caesar Salad
- Dill Pickle Tuna Salad
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained then rinsed
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 9 oz chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 oz salami, chopped, Applegate Naturals recommended
- 2 oz can sliced black olives, drained
- 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup banana pepper rings, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 lemon OR red wine vinegar
- pinch dried oregano
- 1 avocado, chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees then line a baking sheet with a silpat, parchment paper, or foil and set aside. Pat garbanzo beans very dry on a kitchen towel then add to prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and salt then toss to evenly coat and roast for 30-40 minutes or until dark golden brown. Chickpeas will crisp as they cool and can be made a couple days ahead of time.
- In a large bowl combine lettuce, salami, black olives, tomatoes, banana pepper rings, and green onions. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano, and then toss to coat. Add crispy chickpeas and avocado then mix gently to combine. Divide salad between plates then serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Sounds so filling without the guilt! We definitely binged on fresh pasta (I know, not gluten-free… ) over the holidays and now it’s back to limited gluten and sugar.
This salad = MAJOR YUM. Love the tip about cutting the leaves with a pizza cutter, too!
Looks AMAZING! Would just add pickles! ;)
Hi Kristin! Love your blog and recipes and I’m even not gluten free. I live in a Chicago sub and one of our well known Italian Beef places does a chopped salad similar to this but they add pasta-ditalini! So good-makes it a little heartier! Something you might want to try!
Good idea, Teresa! That sounds like it’d make an awesome summer potluck salad!
Great concept for a salad! I made it exactly as written sans the salami. Beautiful and tasty!
Thank you.
Glad you liked it, Kathy! Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Kristin! This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it. We are headed more and more in the direction of a wheat free household. My son can’t tolerate wheat well so we haven’t had bread in the house for ages! Thanks for all your posts! I am a health coach and often share your blog and recipes with my clients as one of my favorite recipe sites!!
I’m so glad the recipes are helpful for your family, and thank you so much for spreading the word. Appreciate it so much!
What an awesome salad idea! No need to ever apologize to me for posting a salad recipe – your salads are the best!
I love this! Salads packed with stuff are the best salads!
I have genuinely never been so excited about a recipe as I am about this recipe. My love for Italian subs runs deeeeep into my Jersey roots. I’m testing the gluten free waters this year and I’ve already been mourning this favorite. I can’t wait!!
You will flip then, this salad tastes JUST like them!
Yum! Can’t wait to make this. You had my attention at art cart – right now my kids keep their art stuff with my kitchen towels and it’s driving me bonkers. Can you share what you use? Thanks!
I know – we were keeping ours on the kitchen COUNTER – horrible! I bought this storage cart and a storage caddy similar to this to set on top, then I’m keeping it in the hall closet. Since the storage cart has wheels, we can just wheel it out whenever he wants to create something!
Wow – this looks really good! And would work as really good lunches to take to work during the week that won’t be boring. Thanks for sharing – even if it is a salad for the new year ;)
I’m in love with the sub idea without the bread!!! Yippee skippee. Who needs that? What a great idea! I’m with you on the Goodwill. We cleaned our pantries too and I finally sorted all my clothes. And I acknowledged….hey, I’ve had 2 kids and I’m trying for a third, I’m never gonna be a size 2 again and that’s ok. So I rid myself of 7 huge bags of clothes. And I feel free! And good because I’m passing them on to people who can use them unlike me!
Totally feel you – and it will great to not have to stare at them everyday just hanging there in the closet!
Happy New Year Kristin! I’ve been meaning to ask for awhile now (as I have two young boys almost 5 and 2.5), but does Lincoln eat similar meals to what you prepare? A lot of your recipes seem to be for 2 servings.