These chopped Italian sliders are absolutely incredible and a major crowd pleaser. They’re filled with chopped deli meats, provolone cheese and an easy chopped salad tossed with vinaigrette, and toasted with just the right amount of garlic butter. Prepare to be addicted to these little sandwiches!

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Why you’ll love these

If you love a traditional Italian grinder sandwich (hoagies, subs, whatever you like to call them!), you’re going to love these. And PS if you love these, you’ll love my Italian Grinder Salad recipe too!

These Italian grinder sliders are basically a mini version of italian subs but even better because the veggies are tossed in a delicious Italian dressing and everything is chopped so that you get the perfect bite with melty cheese every single time.

These sliders are super quick and easy to make but they taste like a fancy finger sandwich that your whole family will love.

They’re perfect for any time of year- an easy dinner or lunch, an easy appetizer for a holiday party, cookouts, or even game day.

This one’s a family favorite in my house (and one of my favorite slider recipes ever!), and I’m confident it will be in yours too! Let’s get into what we need to make these mini Italian sandwiches.

Ingredients

• Sliced deli meats: I like to use lean deli meat like turkey and ham, but you can use whatever you like. You can also use sliced chicken breast! If you’re trying to limit your processed deli meat intake, check to see if your local deli slices their own unprocessed fresh ham and turkey!
• Provolone cheese: I love classic provolone cheese for an Italian sandwich, but you could use any cheese you like: swiss, cheddar, or monterey jack would all be delicious.
• Sweet Hawaiian rolls or slider rolls: I love the Hawaiian rolls because they’re soft and sweet, and so so good when you toast them. But feel free to use any slider rolls you can find!
• Romaine lettuce, sweet onion or red onion, and bell pepper: You can keep your chopped salad really simple with just a few veggies! You can also add any others you like, like cucumber or tomato or use any other lettuce you enjoy, like iceberg lettuce.
• Butter: Just 1 tablespoon of butter brushed across the tops of the slider buns with garlic makes for the most delicious toasted slider, promise. And it’s only 1 tablespoon for 12 sliders- a little goes a long way!

Dressing ingredients

• Banana peppers: Banana peppers are classic on an Italian sub (I like mild banana peppers but get the spicy ones if you like some heat). You could also use pickles here!
• Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds just a tiny hint of creaminess to the Italian dressing.
• Olive oil: I like to add a bit of olive oil to the dressing for healthy fats!
• Red wine vinegar: Red wine vinegar is usually what’s used for a classic Italian vinaigrette for a sub but you can use white wine vinegar here too.
• Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese adds the perfect amount of saltiness and cheesiness to the dressing!
• Spices: You’ll need salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. If you like your dressing with some spice, add some red pepper flakes too.
• Garlic: You’ll use finely minced garlic both for the slider bun tops and the dressing! Use garlic powder if you don’t have any fresh.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Slice the slider buns in half and put the top half on one side of the sheet pan (bun tops facing up) and the bottom half on the other side (inside of slider rolls facing up).
3. In a small bowl quickly whisk together minced garlic and melted butter. Brush garlic butter over the top of slider buns.

4. On a large cutting board, chop deli meat into small pieces and add to the bottom half of the slider buns. Top meat with provolone cheese.
5. Toast the sliders in the oven for 10 minutes until bun tops are golden brown.

6. While the sliders are toasting, chop romaine lettuce, onion, bell pepper, and banana peppers together. Add to a medium sized bowl.

7. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until combined. Add additional salt and black pepper to taste. Toss the chopped salad in the dressing.

8. When the sliders are finished toasting, top the meat and cheese with the chopped salad topping and finish assembling by putting the tops of the buns onto the rest of the sandwich. separate with a sharp knife if needed and enjoy fresh!

Recipe FAQ

Can I make these ahead of time?

These sliders are definitely best eaten fresh, but luckily they’re done in less than 20 minutes!

You could cut down on your prep time by chopping the meats and veggies ahead and making the dressing, store them all in their own airtight container, and then just assemble when it’s time!

What should I serve these with?

If you’re making them as the main part of your meal, you can serve these chopped sliders with chips, a salad, grilled veggies, fresh fruit or even some veggies with dip! Here are some recipes I love serving it with!

• Easy Healthy High Protein Pasta Salad
• Sweet & Tangy Bell Pepper Slaw
• Easy Cucumber Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes & Feta
• Cucumber Mango Salad

What other kinds of meat can I use?

I like to use turkey and ham for most of the meat to keep it lean, but you can use whatever you like: salami and regular pepperoni also work.

You can also use sliced chicken breast from the deli or chicken breast that you slice yourself at home. My local store slices their own freshly baked turkey and ham, so it’s worth asking your store if they do that if you’d like to limit your processed meat.

Variations

• Change up your salad dressing to change up the flavor! Use any other vinaigrettes that you enjoy or even a creamy dressing like ranch.
• Serve it chilled instead of toasted by omitting the garlic butter and assembling them cold.
• Instead of Italian sandwich sliders, make it a chopped Italian sandwich by toasting Italian sub rolls and then filling them with the chopped cold cuts and salad mixture.
• Use different veggies in your chopped salad like cucumbers, tomato slices, extra bell peppers, baby spinach or arugula.
• Add different flavors to your chopped salad with ingredients like roasted red peppers, pepperoncini peppers, artichoke hearts or pickled veggies.
• Use different kinds of slider rolls like ciabatta bread!

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Easy Healthy High Protein Pasta Salad

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