Open Faced Italian Subs
Toasty Bites Of Goodness
Open Faced Italian Subs are light bites of deliciousness. It has toasty bread, creamy cheese, and layers of thinly sliced cold cuts and all of this is topped with marinated onions, sun dried tomatoes and pepper relish.
This is a great snack-able treat that everyone will love.
These delicious open faced sandwiches are the perfect light bite. I love serving these as a football Sunday snack, party appetizer, or as a side to a soup night.
The beauty of these open faced sandwiches is that they can be customized to use any cold cuts, cheese, and toppings that you prefer or have access to. I like the ham, salami, and mortadella combination I have come up with.
I also love the Havarti cheese component for the mild flavor and the way it melts.
Three Meats For Meaty Goodness
I use three different meats for these Open Faced Italian Subs. I use Krakus Ham, Genoa Salami, and a delicious Mortadella from my local deli.
Krakus Ham is a Chicago deli delicacy. You MUST get the ham shaved very thinly for these sandwiches to be perfection. Most delicatessens will do this but they don’t always like it. It is WORTH being uncomfortable to ask them, for the perfect texture sandwiches.
You can always give them a tip if you feel bad. I assume.
If you are unfamiliar with Mortadella, let me explain. To me, Mortadella tastes like a bologna and it usually has bits of peppercorns or pistachios in it. It has a garlicky taste. Mortadella sliced thick is not the best in my opinion, which is why it is very important to also have this shaved.
The Genoa Salami is the perfect addition to this open faced sandwich, it adds a wonderful, peppery flavor. I also love how salty it is.
Havarti Cheese
I like Havarti Cheese for this sub sandwich. It is a cross between muenster cheese and Monterey Jack.
It is very buttery and mild and delicious.
You can also use mozzarella, provolone or Muenster cheese for these sandwiches. Heck, you could try all three!
Beano’s Is The Best
This is the ingredient many people will have never heard of. I find this product easily at almost every store including Walmart.
It is usually on a special display near the deli department. I assume that you can find this on Amazon as well.
I use this on my usual sub sandwiches as well. I love the way the onions taste after marinating in this sauce.
You can also use Italian dressing to marinate your onions if you cannot find this sub sauce.
My Go-To Toppings
These two ingredients are always on hand for sandwiches in my house. I love this Cento Hoagie Spread.
I use it on everything including my Hye Rollers and Open Faced Ham and Cheese Toasties. You will love this stuff.
I use any sun dried tomatoes in olive oil for my sandwiches. You can usually find these in a jar in the pickle aisle. They just make a great addition to any sandwich.
Open Faced Italian Subs
Open Faced Italian Subs are light bites of deliciousness. Toasty bread, creamy cheese, layers of thinly sliced cold cuts. All of this is topped with marinated onions, sun dried tomatoes and pepper relish. This is a great snack-able treat that everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb of shaved ham, I use Krakus Polish ham
- 1/2 lb of shaved mortadella
- 1/2 lb of shaved genoa salami
- 1/2 lb of very thinly sliced Havarti cheese
- 6 to 8 slices of Italian bread
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 large white onion, sliced thinly
- 1 cup of Italian dressing or Beanos Original Sub Dressing *this product pictured in post
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- black pepper
- Hoagie spread *pictured in post **or any peppers like banana or giardiniera
- Small jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil *pictured in post
- **toppings and cold cuts can be adjusted based on preference or accessibility
Instructions
- Brush both sides of the bread slices with your favorite mayonnaise. I like to use Hellmann's.
- Heat a skillet and add the bread slices to the pan. Toast on both sides until crispy and golden brown.
- Add one or two slices of the Havarti cheese to the bread and if it is sliced thinly it should melt slightly on the hot bread. You can also broil this if your cheese is not thinly sliced and melting. Broil until golden brown.
- To make the onions, you may want to make them oa few hours or even a day in advance. Slice the white onion VERY thinly and add the Sub Dressing or the Italian Dressing to the onion in a bowl and let soak, fully submerged, for 4 hours on the counter covered or in the fridge overnight.
- When your open faced subs are assembled with the cold cuts and cheese, top with the onions, then the hoagie spread and one our two of the sun dried tomatoes.
- Sprinkle the top with black pepper, dried oregano and dried parsley. Cut in half or quarters and serve.
