Big Italian Sub Salad

Let’s be honest: The best Italian salad is really a deconstructed hoagie. This version tastes suspiciously like a fully loaded sub, complete with two meats (salami and ham), two cheeses (Fontina and cute pearl mozzarella), and a zesty oregano and red wine vinegar dressing with big deli vibes. Iceberg lettuce is nonnegotiable, as it provides much-desired crunch and freshness even after it’s been sitting for a minute.

We sidelined pepperoncini peppers for the sweet bite of Peppadews and skipped over blah black olives in favor of Kalamatas, but what really sets this Italian salad recipe apart is the croutons. Soaked in olive oil and baked till crunchy, they drink up that vinaigrette so that each and every punchy bite is cloaked in Italian dressing. This is a side dish you could make a meal out of.