Dietitian Spotlight: Italian Sub Salad

Turn your favorite sub sandwich into a fresh light summer salad! This two-step recipe is very tasty and also easy on the carbs. Use this basic Italian spin to try new ingredients that add bold flavor and nutrients to this colorful dish.

Like most Italian dishes, tomatoes and olives are staples. There is nothing quite like a ripe tomato, when either served on a bed of fresh greens or made in an Italian red sauce. Tomatoes are packed with Vitamin C and lycopene, a heart-protective antioxidant that may also prevent some cancers (particularly prostate).

In this recipe, you will also find cured Italian meats like prosciutto and turkey pepperoni. To cure a meat simply means to preserve it by various methods such as salting, drying or smoking. Because of that, these meats are normally concentrated in flavor and salty to the tongue.

The banana peppers are full of nutrients while adding a delicious sweet & sour flavor combo. This ingredient is common to Italian dishes and is a good source of vitamin E, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K - all essential for good health.

Italian Sub Salad

Ingredients

4 cups shredded romaine hearts 

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup mixed Italian olives, pitted

¼ red onion, sliced

¼ cup sliced pickled banana peppers

6 ounces diced Italian meats (prosciutto and/or turkey pepperoni)

for the Submarine Vinaigrette

½ + 2 tablespoons cup olive oil

1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (just enough to give it some tang)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Pinch salt

Freshly cracked pepper

Directions

1) Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together and set aside.

2) Toss all of the salad ingredients together and toss with dressing Easy as that!