This vegetarian grinder salad is packed with so many delicious ingredients! It’s great for a hearty and flavorful meatless meal.
If you’re on TikTok these days, chances are you’re familiar with the popular grinder sandwich that’s been spreading. It’s an Italian-style sub sandwich stuffed with lots of meat, cheese, veggies, and mayo-based red wine vinegar and peperochini sauce.
I don’t eat meat and I’m a big salad girl so I decided to make this Big Vegetarian Grinder Salad and it’s so delicious!
Ingredients and substitutes for vegetarian grinder salad recipes
- iceberg lettuce – The grinder sandwich is traditionally made with iceberg lettuce, so I used that. Romaine would be great too and would probably make the salad last longer in the fridge. Iceberg is nice and crispy though and I enjoyed it.
- Seasoned chickpeas – There can be around 2-3 different meats in the sandwich, so for my veggie version I cooked chickpeas in some savory and smoky spices that paired perfectly with all the other ingredients.
- Croutons – I like to think of the croutons as the bread element. They add a nice crunch and pair well with the cheese. I’ve used homemade croutons, but regular store-bought ones are great too.
- Cheese – I’ve seen people use all kinds of cheeses in their grinder sandwiches. I used a veggie parmesan, but a cheddar or even mozzarella would be great too. This salad can also be made vegan by using a vegan cheese.
- tomato – I used some cherry tomatoes that I diced into small pieces. They give the salad a nice sweetness and a bright color.
- pepperoni – For the grinder sandwich, mix the peperochini into the mayo dressing. I just got a jar of whole peppers and diced them to add to the salad.
- Red onion – I love adding raw red onions to my salads and they happen to be an ingredient in the sandwich!
- dressing – For the dressing, I used mayo, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dried oregano, and salt and pepper. It doesn’t look particularly appetizing when mixed, but it tastes so good!
- Fresh herbs – The food stylist in me had to add some fresh herbs to this grinder salad for extra color and flavor
I used parsley and fresh oregano.
How to make the best vegetarian grinder salad
- Start by preparing your chickpeas. Rinse and drain your chickpeas, then add them to a medium skillet with a few teaspoons of oil. Cook the chickpeas for a few minutes until they start to brown, then add your seasonings. Mix to ensure all chickpeas are coated and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from stove and set aside.
- Make the dressing: Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jar and mix until combined.
- Next, prepare your salad. I wanted it to be more of a chopped lettuce, so I took a whole head of iceberg lettuce and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Place the iceberg lettuce in a large bowl.
- Assemble your salad. Place the chickpeas and all the remaining salad ingredients on top of the iceberg lettuce. I’ve divided everything up so you can look at the individual ingredients, but you can also just toss everything in the bowl.
- Pour over the desired amount of dressing and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions about salad recipes
- Is this grinder salad gluten free? Mine isn’t due to my croutons, but you can easily make yours gluten-free by using gluten-free croutons.
- Is this recipe vegan? No, it contains cheese. But you can easily make it vegan by using vegan cheese or leaving out the cheese. Although the recipe isn’t vegan, I used vegan mayo in the dressing.
- Can I use something other than iceberg lettuce? Yes, romaine lettuce would be a great substitute since it’s crunchy, but any type of greens would work.
- Is parmesan vegetarian? Most traditional Parmesan cheeses aren’t vegetarian because they contain animal rennet (enzymes), but you can typically find American-made Parmesan cheese that’s made with vegetable rennet and is therefore vegetarian.
- How long does this salad keep in the fridge? Undressed, this salad should look fresh for 2-3 days. A dressed salad will probably only keep for about a day. It is best to store in an airtight container in the fridge to keep it fresh for the longest time.
Do you have a question that I haven’t answered? Ask me in the comments section below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Looking for more awesome vegetarian salad recipes?
Chopped Kale Power Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Chickpea salad with cabbage and cucumber
Crispy broccoli salad with maple mustard dressing
Mexican Kale Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing
Autumn harvest salad
Vegetarian Mill Salad
- Total time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: vegetarian
description
This vegetarian grinder salad is packed with so many delicious ingredients and is super filling!
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1 Big head iceberg lettuce
- 3/4 cup chopped hot peppers
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup Croutons
- 1 cup diced cheese, I used veggie parmesan but you can use whatever you like
- 1/2 diced red onion
- Handful of fresh herbs (optional) I used parsley and fresh oregano
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Mayo, I used vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
instructions
- Start by preparing your chickpeas. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then place in a medium skillet over medium-high heat with a few teaspoons of oil. Cook the chickpeas for a few minutes until they start to brown, then add your seasonings. Mix to ensure all chickpeas are coated and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from stove and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing: Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl or jar and mix until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
- Next, prepare your salad. I wanted it to be more of a chopped lettuce, so I took a whole head of iceberg lettuce and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Place the iceberg lettuce in a large bowl.
- Assemble your salad. Place the chickpeas and all the remaining salad ingredients on top of the iceberg lettuce. I’ve divided everything up so you can look at the individual ingredients, but you can also just toss everything in the bowl.
- Pour over the desired amount of dressing and enjoy!
Remarks
The nutritional information is for the total amount of dressing, so the fat content will be much lower if you don’t use the full amount of dressing.
- Preparation time: 20 minutes
- Cooking time: 10 mins
- Category: Salad, vegetarian
- Method: stovetop
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Vegetarian Mill Salad