Super easy to prepare, this Italian cold cut sub sandwich is hearty, filling and so delicious! It’s loaded with plenty of cold cuts, veggies and hot peppers. Forget the sub shop, and make your own delicious Italian sub sandwich at home.

Two Italian cold cut submarine sandwiches with two glasses of water behind them.

Isn’t it funny (and kinda neat) that certain foods not only fill your belly, but remind you of things?

Cold cut sub sandwiches do that for me; they always brings back so many fond memories.

Hubby and I have been together since we were teenagers. I remember every Friday night we would go to the local sub shop and put together our own club cut combo.

We’d each order a cold cut sandwich and pair it with potato chips and sodas. We’d head back to one of our homes and watch a movie or some Friday night shows. It was seriously good times and I always smile when I think back on it.

So, today, I’m recreating those Italian cold cut subs with a homemade version.

These homemade subs are piled high with Italian cold cuts, like mortadella, hot capocollo (also known as “capicola” or “coppa,” as well as other names), and genoa salami. Plus, there’s provolone cheese, veggies, hot peppers, and a homemade vinaigrette. Talk about good!

Why We Love These Italian Cold Cut Sub Sandwiches

For me, at least, there’s fond memories of when hubby and I were dating.
These homemade subs are made in about 10 minutes.
They can be customized to taste with whatever cold cuts and veggies you enjoy best.
They are so hearty, satisfying and delicious!

How To Make a Sub Sandwich

Full details on how to make these homemade subs are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Start by carefully cutting your sub buns in half horizontally (but still leaving the two halves intact), then scoop out some of the interior bread so you create a little “valley” for the cheese, cold cuts and veggies. By all means, if you want to separate the two halves of the sub bun, go for it!
Whisk together a homemade vinaigrette (made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes) and generously brush each sub bun with it. Then layer the provolone cheese onto the bottom buns. The slices I used were round, so I just cut them in half so they would nicely fit on the buns.
Top the cheese with plenty of delicious Italian cold cuts.
Layer on shredded lettuce, sliced red onion and pickled banana peppers. I like to place the tomatoes last. I feel it kinda locks everything in place. Brush those tomatoes with more vinaigrette and give them a little sprinkle of salt and black pepper. All that’s left to do is close the sandwiches up, cut them in half (if you like) and dig in!

Collage of steps to make a cold cut sub sandwich.

Best Bread for a Sub Sandwich

I love to use a sub bun. While delicious, baguettes are not the way to go for this sandwich. They’re a bit too hardy.

I used sub buns that were around 6 inches in length. You can certainly use something larger, but you may have to adjust the sub ingredients to accommodate the larger bun.

Check with your local bakery to get some nice, fresh sub buns! Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just big enough to hold all those delicious sub ingredients!

Two hands holding an Italian cold cut sub sandwich.

Can I Use Other Italian Cold Cuts?

For sure! You can add more cold cuts or simply use your favourite variety.

And, if you happen to just have one type on hand, just use that in lieu of the other varieties. This cold cut sub recipe is super flexible!

Some other delicious cold cut meat options are prosciutto or speck (smoked prosciutto).

Stack of two halves of an Italian cold cut sandwich.

What Can I Use Instead of Vinaigrette?

Of course, you can totally use your favourite mayonnaise and mustard in lieu of vinaigrette. Truth be told, in my younger years, I often opted for mayonnaise when enjoying sub sandwiches.

Alternatively, if you want to have more crunch (and still have that vinegar bite), some giardiniera (Italian relish of pickled vegetables) would be lovely.

Two plates, each with a sub sandwich and potato chips, next to glasses of water.

What To Serve With Sub Sandwiches

Any of these pair wonderfully with a sub sandwich:

Potato chips (a personal fave to have with a cold cut sub)
Pepperoncini (hot peppers)
Pickle
Olives
Salad, like potato salad or macaroni salad
French fries or wedges
Soup

Half of an Italian cold cut sub sandwich.

More Easy Sandwich Recipes

If you make this homemade sub recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!