The Classic Italian Hoagie Recipe You Need in Your Life

Sandwiches may sound boring, but if you’ve ever had a really, really good one, you know they can be a pretty luxurious meal. Looking for a top recommendation? We vote for a hoagie.

If you can say one thing about Italians, it’s that they know how to do food right. But that’s only if you’re eating the real deal. If you’ve been getting an Italian-style sandwich from a chain restaurant, for example, your head is probably going to explode when you try a real Italian hoagie with authentic ingredients.

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To keep it a classic Italian hoagie — and this might make some of you mad — you’ll need to hold the mustard, hold the mayonnaise, hold the bacon, pickles and sliced avocado. Because honestly, they just don’t belong here.

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Find the best 12-inch Italian-style hoagie roll you can get your hands on, slice, and then layer accordingly:

• Deli-sliced boiled ham
• Deli-sliced capicola
• Deli-sliced provolone cheese
• Deli-sliced Genoa salami
• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• Thinly sliced tomato
• Thinly sliced white onion
• Red wine vinegar and oil (extra-virgin olive oil is fine)
• Salt, pepper, Italian oregano
• Hot or sweet peppers, if desired

You can stuff your Italian hoagies with as much meat and cheese as you like, but we’ve found that 1/4 pound of each meat and cheese above yields about two good-size, well-proportioned hoagies.

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And don’t worry, you can still serve your fave sandwich with chips and an ice-cold drink.

Classic Italian hoagie recipe

Yields 2

Ingredients:

• 2 (12-inch) Italian-style rolls
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced boiled ham
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced capicola
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 thinly sliced large tomato
• 1 thinly sliced white onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or canola oil), divided
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar, divided
• Salt, pepper, Italian oregano
• Hot and/or sweet peppers, if desired

Directions:

1. Slice the rolls horizontally, being careful to not slice all the way through.
2. Open up the rolls, and layer on the ham, capicola, provolone cheese and Genoa salami (about 4 slices each).
3. Top with lettuce, tomato slices, onion, 1 tablespoon of oil, 2 teaspoons of vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano and peppers, if desired. Slice and serve.

A version of this article was originally published in March 2014.