Italian Seasoned Super Sub

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a recipe for the sandwich my oldest son calls "The Holy Spirit Sandwich" (see Turkey Club Sandwich with Avocado Aioli).  Before I introduced him to that sandwich, this one was his favorite and he named it "The Jesus Sandwich" because it's that good!

I've been making this sandwich so many years that I don't remember where I found the recipe and the original copy has disappeared.  Luckily, I had typed it up for someone, so I had it saved in my computer.  This is one of my personal favorite sandwiches that I make and feel that the bread is what helps put this one at the top of my list.  This sandwich gets all 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

For some reason, the pictures of the process of preparing the bread disappeared from my camera, so there is only the finished loaf pictured above.  It's a fairly easy process which begins by spraying a nonstick cooking spray on a baking sheet.  Then the bread dough is removed from the can and placed seam side down on the sprayed baking sheet.  Using a serrated knife, I cut 5 diagonal slices in the top of the loaf (they can be seen in the picture above), which allows for expansion as the bread bakes.  I then spray the top with additional nonstick cooking spray and in a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese, oregano and garlic salt.  This mixture gets sprinkled on top of the loaf and it gets baked at 350°F for about 30 minutes.  It needs to be completely cool before assembling the sandwich.  When it's really hot outside, I bake the bread in the morning and once it's cooled completely, I wrap it in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out until I'm ready to assemble the sandwich in the evening.

Once cool, I cut the loaf in half horizontally.  The assembly begins by spreading the creamy Italian salad dressing on both halves of the bread.  When I couldn't find creamy Italian salad dressing in the market, I would make a mixture of mayonnaise and regular Italian salad dressing, which gave me the same result.

Then I begin layering the fillings.  I begin with the swiss cheese, overlapping so the cheese is in every bite.  I also think the tips that hang over the edge help give the sandwich a stuffed full of goodness look when it is completed.

The next layer is deli thin slices of ham.

This is followed by the bell pepper rings.  I overlap them also for the best coverage.

I angle and overlap the cheddar cheese slices as I did with the Swiss cheese.  I use the sharp cheddar cheese as I think it has more flavor.

Next is the Italian dry salami, where again I overlap each slice.

The sliced tomato goes on next.  I like to use the Roma tomatoes on this sandwich, but you can use any kind.

To make this sandwich faster to assemble, I use the prepackaged shredded lettuce on top.

I put the top half of the loaf on top and it's ready to cut and serve.  It even looks good from an aerial point of view!

Does this sandwich look like it's packed full of goodness, or what?  

I cut this sandwich into four equal pieces for my family.  I didn't measure them, but I'd say each piece is somewhere between 4 and 5 inches long.  I think this sandwich not only rivals but beats any sandwich you can buy at Subway or Jersey Mike's!  Enjoy!

Italian Seasoned Super Sub

BREAD

Nonstick cooking spray

1 (11 oz.) can Pillsbury Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf

2 tablespoons shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

FILLING

3 tablespoons purchased creamy Italian salad dressing

5 slices Swiss cheese

¼ lb. thinly sliced cooked ham

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into rings

5 slices cheddar cheese

¼ lb. sliced Italian dry salami

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 cup shredded lettuce

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Remove dough from can; place seam side down on baking sheet.  With sharp or serrated knife, cut 5 (1/4-inch deep) diagonal slices on top of dough.  Spray dough with nonstick cooking spray.  In small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and oregano; mix well.  Sprinkle on top of bread dough.  Bake at 350°F for 26 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool 20 minutes or until completely cooled.

Cut bread in half lengthwise.  Brush cut sides of bread with salad dressing.  Layer bottom half with Swiss cheese, ham, bell pepper, cheddar cheese, salami, tomato and lettuce.  Cover with top half of bread.  Cut into 4 pieces.