Whether you're looking for a party sub, a cold dinner idea or simply wanting an easy to pack picnic lunch, this giant sub sandwich is perfect for them all! Made with just a few ingredients this recipe is both easy and frugal!
I'm sure we've all seen a giant sub sandwich before. One giant party sub that can feed a small army if you try. Well, this giant sub may not feed an army, but it will feed a family of 4 or 5 just fine.
We often slice it into 4 sections and allow everyone to fill up on their quarter sub for a cold dinner during hot summer days because it's pretty filling. To stretch the sandwich out to feed even more people, it can be cut into 8-10 pieces about 2 inches wide and several inches tall.
Serve it up with a side of Creamy Orange Fluff Salad for a cold summer meal that everyone will enjoy!
Why This Recipe Works
- It's frugal. We like grabbing our Italian loaves of bread from Walmart's clearance rack so that they are marked down to $.49 instead of $1, but either way, this large sub recipe is pretty cheap to pull together.
- It's easy. Everyone knows how easy it is to make a sandwich, but making sandwiches for everyone in the family at one time can take a while, especially when you have a big appetite. This one sandwich is a lot easier to prep and serve than individual sandwiches.
- It's customizable! What do you like on your sandwiches? Put them on the loaf! You can change out the condiments, meats, and veggies to suit your own tastes.
🥘 Ingredients
Italian loaf of bread- You could use french bread if desired, but we like Italian loaf because the bread is softer and less chewy, which is much easier for the kids to bite into.
Lunch meat- You can't beat the classics like turkey and ham, but feel free to add roast beef, salami, or any other meats you'd enjoy.
Condiments- Adding your favorite condiments like mustard and mayo is a great way to add flavor and moisture to the bread. You can always leave the condiments off of a section of the sandwich or omit it entirely if desired.
Lettuce- for added freshness and crunch, we like to use iceberg lettuce or pre-shredded lettuce.
Pickles- My husband introduced me to bread and butter pickles on sandwiches, and I have never looked back!
Sliced Cheese- Use your favorite sliced cheese if desired. We like to use cheddar, American, or munster.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- Bread knife
- Butter knives
- Cutting Board
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make giant sub sandwich with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Lay your loaf of Italian bread onto a cutting board and use a large bread knife to cut the sandwich along the side/middle area so that it creates a top and bottom half.
Lay the two halves side by side with the cut sides facing up. On one, spread your mayo over the top. Spread the mustard over the top of the other half. Coat the tops well to avoid blank spots but use more or less of the condiments as desired.
Cover the top of one half with cheese slices and arrange the lettuce leaves over the top of the other half.
Fit and fold the lunch meat slices as needed to cover the top one of the halves.
Add your additional topping to the top of the other half. This is your pickles, tomatoes, onions, olives, etc.
Take the half that doesn't have the topping and place it over the top of the half with the toppings. Then flip the whole sandwich over so that it is upright if needed.
Use a large bread knife to slice the sandwich into serving-sized pieces.
Serve with any side dishes desired. Potato chips, cold fruit, and lemonade are all good suggestions.
🍴 Recipe Tips
When traveling with your sandwich, we often bag ours up in serving-sized pieces or if going on a picnic, we slice the sub up and place it back into the bread bag that the loaf originally came in and close the end. It makes it much more convenient for traveling.
By cutting the sandwich before leaving the house, it prevents you from tearing the sandwich apart at your destination or carrying around a large knife in public. Neither option sounds great.
You can customize your huge sub sandwich to your own liking. No mayo, no mustard, add tomatoes, onions, black olives, salami, etc. The possibilities are endless for a customized and unique sandwich experience.
💭 FAQs
You can use French bread if desired, but we personally prefer the softer Italian bread loaf as it's much less chewy. French bread is a great option if you want the thicker crust and chewiness though! (We love French bread, but not for this).
This sandwich is best eaten within 2 hours of making but can last up to a day or two if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You don't want to leave the sandwich sitting out too long at room temperature due to the condiments and cheese. Mayo doesn't do well with heat. But thanks to the thickness of the bread, it can be placed in the fridge for even longer storage if you don't finish it all at once.
Yes, we really enjoy making these large sandwiches before we go out to a park for a picnic. The bread and sandwiches feel much more sturdy, and less like to get squished by other foods in the cooler. This has definitely been our go-to meal for the past few years. Cheap, easy, filling, and easy to store.
More great lunch recipes to try
- Momma’s Easy Egg Salad Recipe
- Air Fryer Club Sandwich
- Pepperoni Pizza Sticks
- Mac and Cheese Quesadilla
- Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos
- Microwave Grilled Cheese
- Air Fryer Turkey Sandwich
📖 Recipe
Giant Sub Sandwich
Equipment
- Bread knife
- Butter knives
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian Bread ($1.00)
- 4 ounces Sliced Turkey Lunch Meat ($1.16)
- 4 ounces Sliced Ham Lunch Meat ($1.16)
- 6 slices Cheddar Cheese ($1.02)
- ⅛ cup Yellow Mustard ($0.05)
- ¼ cup Mayonaise ($0.10)
- Pickles ($0.05)
- Iceberg Lettuce ($0.20)
Other optional toppings
- Sliced Tomatoes
- Sliced Onions
- Sliced Black Olives
Instructions
- Lay your loaf of Italian bread onto a cutting board. Using a large bread knife cut the sandwich along the side/middle area so that it creates a top and bottom half.
- Lay the two halves side by side with the cut sides facing up. On one, spread your mayo over the top. On the other, spread the mustard. Spread well to coat so that there are no blank spots on the bread. You can use more or less as desired.
- Top one half with your slices of cheese so that it's well covered. Arrange leaves of lettuce on the other.
- Take your meat and fold the slices as needed to cover the sandwich well.
- Add any pickles, tomatoes, onions, or olives over the top of the other half.
- Take the half that doesn't have the additional toppings and turn it and place it on top of the others, so that the fillings are touching and the bread is on the outside. Then flip the whole sandwich so that the top is facing up.
- Using a large bread knife, cut the sandwich into serving sized pieces. I find it best to cut the sandwich in half and then repeat by cutting each half in half until I get to the desired slice size.
- Serve with any potato chips, cold fruit, or lemonade as desired.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- When traveling with your sandwich, we often bag ours up in serving-sized pieces or if going on a picnic, we slice the sub up and place it back into the bread bag that the loaf originally came in and close the end. It makes it much more convenient for traveling.
- By cutting the sandwich before leaving the house, it prevents you from tearing the sandwich apart at your destination or carrying around a large knife in public. Neither option sounds great.
- You can customize your huge sub sandwich to your own liking. No mayo, no mustard, add tomatoes, onions, black olives, salami, etc. The possibilities are endless for a customized and unique sandwich experience.
- You can use French bread if desired but we personally prefer the softer Italian bread loaf as it's much less chewy. French bread is a great option if you want the thicker crust and chewiness though!
Storage
- This sandwich is best eaten within 2 hours of making but can last up to a day or two if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You don't want to leave the sandwich sitting out too long at room temperature due to the condiments and cheese. Mayo doesn't do well with heat. But thanks to the thickness of the bread, it can be placed in the fridge for even longer storage if you don't finish it all at once.
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