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This easy hoagie dip is brimming with all your Italian antipasto favorites, like ripe grape tomatoes, chopped deli meats, pepperoncini, and provolone cheese. Serve it with crusty bread for an appetizer version of the classic sub sandwich!
I love finding ways to turn my favorite sandwich fillings into easy party dips. For more fun ideas, try this BLT dip, this warm Reuben dip, and my gooey bacon cheeseburger dip!
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No party or cookout is complete at our house without a big bowl of dip! That could be cold dips like boat dip and taco dip, or warm favorites like spinach artichoke dip or queso. This hoagie dip, inspired by the sandwich, is my latest favorite! It falls somewhere between a grinder salad, a Subway sandwich, and a dip, made with crisp lettuce, tomatoes, Italian meats, and cheese tossed in a creamy homemade dressing. It’s delicious spooned over thick crusty bread. Like a build-your-own sandwich in appetizer form!
What Makes This the Best Hoagie Dip
- Italian-style flavors. This fresh and zesty hoagie dip combines all of my favorite antipasto ingredients, from juicy grape tomatoes to salty ham, spicy salami, and sweet-tangy pepperoncini.
- Creamy dressing. I dress this hoagie dip in a creamy Italian-inspired dressing. It’s fast and simple to make with just 3 ingredients.
- Quick. Add everything to a bowl, stir in the dressing, and serve. The longest step in this recipe is chopping up your ingredients.
What Is a Hoagie?
A hoagie is another name for a submarine sandwich. It’s prepared in a long crusty roll and goes by different names depending on where you live in the US. In Philadelphia, it’s a hoagie, but you’ll find it on New England menus as a grinder, hero, or the Italian sub at Subway.
Hoagie rolls are the bread of choice in recipes like Philly cheesesteaks, Louisiana po’ boys, and meatball sub sandwiches.
Dip Ingredients
In Philly, a hoagie is a roll drizzled with Italian dressing and layered with deli meat, onions, tomatoes, provolone, and shredded lettuce. That’s the version that inspired this dip recipe! Below are some ingredient notes. Scroll to the recipe for a printable list with amounts.
- Onion – Red onion, thinly sliced. You can also use shallot or yellow onion.
- Pepperoncini – These are Italian chili peppers that often come pickled in jars. They look similar to banana peppers, only pepperoncini have a milder, sweet, and tangy taste. Good substitutes for pepperoncini are poblano peppers or jalapeños (remove the seeds to make hot peppers less spicy).
- Grape Tomatoes – I like to use halved ripe grape or cherry tomatoes since they’re on the sweeter side. I find that dicing up larger tomatoes tends to make the dip watery.
- Deli Meats – I use chopped salami, ham, and pepperoni, which are easy to find in most supermarket delis. You can get creative with other Italian meats like prosciutto, capicola, etc.
- Provolone Cheese – Chopped up into small pieces. Other good options are mozzarella or bocconcini pearls. Good old cheddar works in a pinch!
- Shredded Lettuce – Choose a crisp lettuce, like Romaine, iceberg, or Bibb lettuce that won’t wilt as quickly in the dressing.
- Mayonnaise – If you’re looking to keep this hoagie dip on the lighter side, substitute mayo with plain or Greek yogurt (or go half-and-half with both).
- Italian Dressing – I have a homemade Italian dressing mix that I use often. Otherwise, feel free to use your favorite brand from the store.
- Seasoning – Again, you can use homemade Italian seasoning or a store-bought blend.
How to Make Hoagie Dip
Like most cold dips, there’s nothing complicated about making homemade hoagie dip from scratch. Here’s what to expect. You’ll find the printable recipe instructions in the recipe card below the post.
- Make the dressing. Start by whisking together the dressing ingredients.
- Assemble the dip. Next, add your dip ingredients to a serving bowl. Pour over the dressing, toss to coat, and dig in!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Adapt the dressing to taste. I use all of the creamy dressing because we like our dip “saucy” around here. I recommend tossing the dip with half the dressing to start and adding more to taste.
- Boost the flavors. For extra flavor in the dressing, add a splash of pepperoncini juice!
- Change up the ingredients. Switch up the deli meat, add bell peppers, cucumbers, and olives, or use another type of crunchy lettuce.
- Make it spicy. Sprinkle red pepper flakes into the dressing.
What to Serve With Hoagie Dip
Serve creamy hoagie dip spooned over sliced hoagie rolls or French bread to really recreate the flavors in an Italian sub sandwich. I also love it piled onto wedges of fluffy rosemary focaccia and homemade garlic bread, or even crunchy tortilla chips.
This dip is great to make for parties and game day gatherings, paired with more appetizers like stuffed mushrooms, Italian meatball skewers, and air fryer pizza rolls.
How to Store
This creamy hoagie dip is best enjoyed right away, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll last for a day or two. The lettuce tends to get a bit soggy after that. However, whenever I make this dip, we almost always clean out the bowl!
More Dip Recipes
Hoagie Dip
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ½ cup mayo
- ¼ cup Italian dressing
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
For the Dip
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup pepperoncini peppers, chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 6 oz salami, chopped
- 6 oz ham, chopped
- 6 oz pepperoni, chopped
- 6 oz provolone cheese, chopped
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by mixing everything together until smooth and well combined.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Pour over half of the dressing and stir until well coated. Add more dressing if desired. I used all of it, but we like it “saucy”.
- Serve with sliced bread so it’s just like enjoying your favorite hoagie sandwich!
Notes
- Switch up the deli meat, add bell peppers, cucumbers, or olives, or use iceberg lettuce. Make it spicy by adding red pepper flakes to the dressing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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