12 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Preparing Italian Subs

There are so many delicious sandwiches in the world, ranging from the French jambon-beurre to the Chinese jianbing. But the classic Italian sub is perhaps one of the most beloved. Stacked high with a variety of cold cuts and adorned with a smattering of veggies (that vary depending on who’s making the sandwich), it’s an iconic hot weather comfort food, the perfect meal to take to the beach or the first warm park day of the year. And although you can always go out and snag yourself an Italian sub from your favorite local sub shop, it’s a good idea to master how to make one at home.

You may know the basics of Italian sub construction, but there are many pitfalls you’re going to want to avoid if you’re really committed to making the most delicious sub possible. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most common mistakes people make when building the sandwich. Hopefully, by avoiding these mistakes, you can achieve Italian sub success every time you have a sandwich craving. Trust us: The next Italian sub you make will be your tastiest yet.

Some might consider cold cuts to be the most important part of an Italian sub. Although we take a more holistic view of a sandwich’s ingredients, there’s no denying that you’ll want to get your cold cut strategy on point before you construct your sandwich. After all, the best Italian subs feature a mix of different meats that are well-balanced when it comes to both flavor and texture.

Start with a solid base meat that provides some richness without stealing the show. Mortadella is our preference, but you can also use ham if you can’t find any mortadella. Next, you’ll want to pick something fattier, like a good salami, to provide an extra layer of richness. Finally comes the most flavorful meat of the bunch, preferably something spiced. Hot soppressata is usually a safe bet, but if you can’t find any, then you can make do with pepperoni. Without the mortadella, you’d be missing that smooth, slightly less fatty texture, and without the salami, you might be missing some of the richness that you’re going for. Take out the soppressata, and your sandwich won’t pack the same level of flavor you’re craving.

Of course, you can experiment with different types of cold cuts to find what combo best suits your taste buds. But for the best results, be intentional with your meat choices to avoid a one-note, unbalanced sandwich.

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference when it comes to an Italian sub, and that certainly holds true when it comes to the addition of oil and vinegar. A lot of people just consider this to be an extra add-on, an optional touch of moisture added right at the end of sandwich construction. But if you ask us, oil and vinegar are absolutely essential to making the best possible Italian sub. The olive oil adds a smooth richness to the sandwich, while the vinegar (preferably red wine vinegar) breaks up all that fat and makes each bite of the sub mouthwateringly delicious.

But as essential as oil and vinegar are to a good Italian sub, it can be really easy to overdo it, leaving you with a messy sandwich that’s hard to even pick up. You don’t want every bite of your sandwich to result in a dribble of liquid falling onto your lap, which is why you should be careful to only add a small amount of oil and vinegar onto a sandwich at a time. That way, you can avoid a super messy situation and ensure that your sandwich is dressed to perfection every time.

Let’s face it: Italian subs are quite fatty, especially if you’re really layering on the cold cuts like you should. All that fat results in a delicious, rich flavor, but it can also be overwhelming if there’s nothing to balance the sandwich out. This is why including acidic ingredients in your Italian sub is so incredibly important; they offer a bright note that can instantly upgrade any otherwise basic, cold cut-focused sandwich.

There are several different ways to incorporate more acid into your Italian sub. Again, red wine vinegar will add a splash of acidity easily without introducing any more solid ingredients into the mix. However, our favorite acidic ingredient to include in an Italian sub happens to be pepperoncini, which offers both crunch and a kick of peppery acidity. We suggest slicing them before adding them to the sandwich (or using the pre-sliced variety) to avoid getting big chunks of pepperoncini that can overwhelm a single bite. Pickled onions are also a solid option, as is giardiniera. Make sure you have some pickled veggies on hand in your fridge, and you’ll be covered on the acid front.

Have you ever wondered why the Italian sub you order from your favorite sandwich place tastes so much better than the one you make at home? Well, it may come down to something as simple as dried oregano. Just a simple sprinkle of the stuff on your sandwich can add a ton of herbal flavor, increasing its complexity and ensuring that no bite is left unseasoned. And since oregano is a staple in so many different types of Italian food, it’ll give your sub that signature Italian-tasting flair you’re going for.

You really don’t need to go overboard with the dried oregano — its strong flavor means that it can easily overpower other ingredients if you use too much. Just sprinkle a pinch or two of oregano over the length of your sandwich, and you should be good to go. This is a super easy way to elevate your Italian sub sandwich, and you may never go back to an oregano-less sub again.

An Italian sub has so many different parts all working together, and each component has to be handled separately if you want to make the best possible Italian sub. This means that some ingredients may require some prep time — and the salami just happens to be one of them. You know when you first take a slice of salami out of the fridge and it’s hard and rigid, making it difficult to bite into? Yeah, you’re not going to want that on your sandwich. Instead of using salami straight from the refrigerator, you’ll have more delicious results if you let it come to room temperature before you start preparing your sandwich.

Generally, this process should only take about 10 to 20 minutes, but it’s worth the extra wait time. The fat in the salami will get nice and soft after a few minutes out of the fridge, which provides a moist, more delicious bite. Taking a few extra minutes to plan ahead can make the difference between a so-so Italian sub and one that will truly blow you away.

If you’re the kind of person who likes cheese on their sandwich, then choosing high-quality cheese is of the utmost importance. Although different types of cheese are used on Italian subs, we prefer mozzarella. First of all, its fresh, clean dairy flavor makes for a rather neutral addition to an otherwise super-flavorful sub, all while providing the sandwich with the creaminess and denseness it needs. But you’ll want to be careful about what kind of mozzarella you’re using, since they’re not all created the same.

For the best-tasting sandwich possible, it makes sense to opt for fresh mozzarella over the low-moisture variety because the fresh stuff generally has a creamier texture and purer flavor to it. Sure, cheap mozzarella may be able to do the trick when you’re really in a pinch, but honestly, we would rather nix the cheese altogether than settle for a sub-par slice of mozzarella on our masterpiece of a sandwich. If you can afford to splurge on your sub, get the freshest mozzarella you can find, and leave the shredded stuff in a plastic bag.

Digging into an Italian sandwich that’s already gone soggy before you even take the first bite is a huge disappointment. Not only does the bread not taste very good this way, but it also compromises the structure of the sandwich, making it much more likely to fall apart in your hands. You probably don’t want to eat your Italian sub with a fork, so this is a fate to be avoided at all costs. So, how do you prevent that sogginess and create a more structurally sound sandwich? Just toast the bread. Taking the extra time to toast your bread also gives it some added complexity and depth of flavor, so it’s a win all around.

And if you want your sandwich to have even more grip to it, consider ripping some of the bread out of the center before toasting it. No, this isn’t to reduce the amount of calories in the sandwich — that’s not something to worry about when it comes to an Italian sub. Rather, it’s about making sure there’s some extra room for all the ingredients you’re trying to pack in. This way, you can ensure that your sandwich is as easy to pick up as possible without any ingredients falling out in the process.

When it comes to a salad, iceberg lettuce can be a real bummer. It doesn’t add much in terms of flavor, and it just takes up room in your bowl that could be used for more interesting, flavorful greens, like spinach, arugula, or kale. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time and a place for iceberg lettuce. In fact, if you ask us, it’s really the only option for greens when it comes to a good Italian sub. As much as we might like other types of greens for other purposes, iceberg lettuce is essential to a good sub, and nothing else can take its place. Romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce can be used in a pinch if you’re desperate, but once you start going into the darker greens, you know you’ve really gone astray.

Why does iceberg work so well in an Italian sub? It’s really all about the crunch. It’s not there to provide flavor — rather, you include it in the recipe because it’s light, fresh, and texturally speaking, a perfect counterpart to those rich meats. So, please, refrain from the iceberg hate, and make sure you use some (sliced fresh, of course) on your next Italian sub.

Bread is an incredibly important part of any good Italian sub, which is why you should make sure you’re using the right kind. After all, a lot of varieties of bread out there just won’t support a sandwich as hearty as an average Italian sub. The most important thing to look for is structure. Ideally, you’ll choose a bread that’s not too soft, although you’ll also want to avoid bread that’s so crusty that you’ll have a hard time biting into it.

You may be able to find a sturdy, not-too-soft sub roll at your local grocery store bakery. Alternatively, ciabatta could also work, and a baguette isn’t a bad choice either. Regardless, you should ensure that you’re getting a high-quality loaf that actually tastes good all on its own — it’s there for flavor as well as structure, after all.

To some people, mayonnaise is an absolutely essential part of any sandwich. And hey, we get it. It’s rich, it’s creamy, and it offers just a hint of acidity that can absolutely transform your sandwich from blah to delicious. But here’s the thing: It doesn’t have to appear on an Italian sub, especially if you’re already including oil and vinegar. Adding even more fattiness in the form of mayonnaise can be overkill in this case, rendering your bread soggy and obscuring the freshness of the vegetables included in the sandwich. In fact, some people are vehemently against mayonnaise ever appearing on an Italian sub at all.

We are flexible when it comes to the matter of mayonnaise on an Italian sub, but it’s an ingredient to use sparingly. Really consider the construction of your sandwich before you decide to slather it on without regard for the other ingredients you’re working with.

Sandwiches are all about texture, and an Italian sub is no exception. You could have the best possible ingredients, but if they’re prepped the wrong way, you may still end up with a subpar sandwich. This is especially true when it comes to your deli meats. For the most delicious sandwich, it’s in your best interest to get your cold cuts sliced as thinly as possible. If you’re getting your cold cuts fresh from the deli (which you should absolutely do if you can), ask them to slice the cuts extra thin. And if you can’t get your meat sliced for you at the deli, lightly freeze the slab of meat beforehand and use a super sharp knife to make the thinnest slices you can. If light passes through the slices, you’re doing it right.

Why do the cold cuts need to be sliced so thinly? It creates a smoother, more delicate texture, and it allows the flavors of the different varieties of meat to meld together better with each bite.

There’s one unofficial Italian sub ingredient you absolutely shouldn’t miss if you want to make an all-star sandwich. You may consider potato chips to be a side dish, but in reality, they should be an integral part of the sandwich itself. By placing potato chips on your sandwich, you’re adding a much-needed crunch to the dish, making it even more texturally interesting than it already is. Potato chips provide a more intense, dry crunch than you get from even the crispest vegetables.

Although potato chips are extremely important in terms of texture, they also make a difference in the flavor of the sandwich. Even basic chips provide an extra salty element to the mix, which instantly makes your sandwich more dynamic. But you can also get creative with the chips you use if you want to harness even more flavor.

So, what kind of potato chips should you include in your Italian sub? There are a ton of different chip brands to choose from, but we prefer Cape Cod kettle chips for their ultra-crunchy texture and extra-salty flavor profile. You can either place them all onto the sandwich at once while you’re actually constructing the sandwich, or you can add the chips to the sandwich one by one as you eat. Although the latter method is more time-intensive, it’ll prevent the chips from becoming too soggy.