Chopped Italian Veggie Sub Sandwich

This super slimmed down version of the viral TikTok chopped Italian sandwich is all about the vegetables. If you’re looking for a unique and delicious way to add more veggies to your diet, this is it!

Sep 12, 2023

If you’re an Italian sub fan like me, you’ve probably seen the viral TikTok trend for making a chopped Italian sandwich. Just one month after the creator, Big Eric’s BBQ, posted the video, it had amassed 7.1 million views. People really like this sub!

To make this unique sandwich, all the classic Italian sub ingredients – ham, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, banana peppers, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, Italian dressing, salt, black pepper, and dried Italian seasoning – are stacked on a cutting board, chopped into bite-size pieces, and piled into an Italian sub bun or hoagie roll. The beauty of the chopped sandwich is that each bite gives you all the flavors that make an Italian sub so delicious.

While I’m a fan (huge fan, if I’m being completely honest) of Italian subs, I don’t have them too often as they’re not exactly the healthiest sandwich choice. When I first saw the video for this viral sub sensation, I thought it would be interesting to run a nutrient analysis. Without a specific recipe containing ingredient amounts, I did my best to compose one from watching the how-to video several times. Based on my best “guesstimation,” one sandwich has 970 calories, 55 grams of total fat (that’s about the amount of total fat recommended for an entire day), 20 grams of saturated fat (that’s the recommended maximum amount of saturated fat for the day), and 2,600 milligrams of sodium (that exceeds the recommend amount of sodium for the day). Yikes!

To create a healthier version of this ultra popular chopped sub, the focus had to be on the vegetables. I know what you’re thinking – it’s not an Italian sub without meat and cheese. I get that but stick with me. Once you see the nutrition information, you might be more inclined to give this veggie-loaded chopped sub a try. My Chopped Italian Veggie Sub Sandwich has 448 calories, 16 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, and 674 milligrams of sodium. That’s quite an improvement. And did I mention, it tastes really good.

Let me take you through the assembly process. Start by placing a couple of washed and patted dry romaine lettuce leaves on a large cutting board. Top the romaine with a leaf of radicchio (also washed and patted dry), two slices of green pepper, one tomato slice, and one or two thin slices of red onion. I love using radicchio in this sandwich for the color it provides, but you can certainly use an extra romaine leaf in its place. Also, if you’re looking for a little spicy heat, add some jalapeno or serrano pepper slices to the stack of vegetables.

Stack the vegetables on a large cutting board.

Now, just start chopping. How much you chop is totally up to you. I like to get all the vegetables cut to a diced consistency.

Place the chopped vegetables in a bowl and add the shredded mozzarella cheese. This chopped vegetable and shredded cheese mixture yields about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups.

Next, prepare the vinaigrette dressing by adding the red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, dried oregano, garlic, salt, and black pepper to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until well combined. Add just two tablespoons of dressing to the chopped vegetables and shredded cheese mixture and stir to combine. There will be enough dressing remaining to make two additional sandwiches.

To assemble the sandwich, cut a 6-inch baguette in half lengthwise. If you can find a whole-grain baguette, great. Using your fingers, tear away some of the bread from the center of each half, creating a well or channel for the veggie and cheese mixture to lay. Pile the vegetable mix onto each half of the baguette. It will look like it’s not going to fit, but lightly press the mixture down onto the bread, filling each half of the roll. A little spill over is just fine.

Bring the two filled baguette halves together, slice the sandwich in half, and enjoy.

To your health,

Darlene

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CHOPPED ITALIAN VEGGIE SUB SANDWICH

Yield: 1 serving

Serving Size: 1 sub sandwich

Prep: 20 minutes

Ready: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Sandwich ingredients

2 medium-sized romaine lettuce leaves (patted dry after washing)
1 radicchio leaf (patted dry after washing)
2 slices green pepper
1 slice tomato
1 to 2 thin slices red onion
1/3 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 (6-inch) baguette, whole-grain preferred

Vinaigrette dressing ingredients

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

To prepare sandwich ingredients, stack romaine lettuce, radicchio, green pepper slices, tomato slice, and red onion slice(s) on a large cutting board. Chop vegetable ingredients together to a diced consistency. Place chopped vegetables in a large bowl and add shredded mozzarella cheese (this vegetable and shredded cheese mixture yields about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups).
Cut a 6-inch baguette in half lengthwise and remove some bread from the center of each half, creating a well or channel for the vegetable and cheese mixture to lay. Set aside until ready to assemble sandwich.
To prepare vinaigrette dressing, add red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, dried oregano, garlic, salt, and black pepper to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until well combined. Pour two tablespoons of dressing over chopped vegetables and shredded cheese and toss to combine. There will be enough dressing remaining to make two additional sandwiches.
To assemble the sandwich, begin piling the sandwich mixture onto each half of the hollowed-out baguette. Lightly press mixture down onto the bread, filling each half of the roll. Bring the two filled sandwich halves together, slice in half, and serve.

Cook’s note: For best results, make the chopped sub right before serving. The vegetables in this recipe hold a lot of moisture, which can create a soggy sandwich if left to sit too long.

Nutrition Information per Serving

448 Calories, 16 g Total fat, 4 g Saturated fat, 0 g Trans fat, 18 mg Cholesterol, 674 mg Sodium, 60 g Total carbohydrate, 4 g Dietary fiber, 7 g Total sugars, 3 g Added sugars, 17 g Protein, 0 mcg (0%) Vitamin D, 268 mg (20%) Calcium, 4 mg (20%) Iron, 264 mg (6%) Potassium