Italian Picnic Heroes
Updated June 23, 2026
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist. Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
- Ready In
- 55 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
For the slaw
¼ medium green cabbage (about ½ pound), cored and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups)
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thinly
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, leaves and tender stems
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
For the red pepper spread
1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and pat dry (about 1 ½ cups)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Calabrian chile paste, plus more to taste (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
For the sandwiches
2 (8- to 10-inch) hero rolls (plain, seeded or whole wheat)
½ pound thinly sliced deli turkey
¼ pound thinly sliced deli ham
2 ounces sliced deli salami
2 ounces sliced hot soppressata
¼ pound thinly sliced provolone
1 to 2 dill pickles, sliced lengthwise into planks, or dill pickle chips
Nutritional analysis per serving
16 grams carbs; 69 milligrams cholesterol; 318 calories; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 950 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a colander set in the sink, combine the cabbage with 2 teaspoons salt. Toss to coat. Massage it gently and leave to drain. In a small bowl, soak the sliced red onion in cold water. Let the cabbage and onion sit for 30 minutes while you prepare everything else.
- Step 2
Make the red pepper spread: In a food processor, combine the roasted red peppers, tomato paste, Calabrian chile paste, sugar and garlic until everything is finely chopped and spreadable, but not puréed. You should have about 1½ cups. (You can also do this by hand: Finely chop the roasted red pepper and toss with everything else in a medium bowl.) Taste and adjust for seasoning, noting that most jarred roasted red pepper is already seasoned.
- Step 3
Finish the slaw: Rinse, drain and pat the cabbage dry with a clean kitchen towel, then place in a large bowl. Drain the onion and add it to the cabbage, along with the parsley, oil, vinegar, oregano and a few grinds of pepper. Toss everything together until evenly mixed, then taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Step 4
Assemble the sandwiches: Slice the hoagie rolls in half lengthwise and spread the red pepper spread evenly across all four halves. On the bottom halves, shingle the turkey, ham, salami, soppressata and provolone, then top with pickle slices. Pack the slaw onto the top halves and swiftly close the sandwiches and press down on them to secure everything together. Use a serrated bread knife to cut each hero into four pieces and arrange them, cut sides up, in a lidded 9-by-13 baking dish for easy transport.
Private Notes
Comments
If you live in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area of New York state, the bakery called Vinnie’s Minis in Niagara Falls has the best seeded hero/hoagie rolls in the region. Enjoy.
Swap mortadella for the turkey and add mustard. You are now in hero heaven
These were excellent. Used small french bread…because I could not find hero rolls. The bread I decided upon was very soft inside but had some “tooth” on the outside. It was not a hard crust. I also could not find Calabrian chili paste, but did have the chilis so I threw some chilis into the red pepper mix. I also used a blender. I wasn’t up to getting the food processor out. I carefully blended on low setting using the pulse feature. I did not want a purée. Everything else was as suggested. This was really good.
Making this in the UK.. I thought I'd find some suitable rolls but only found brioche rolls so I used a soft sourdough sliced loaf instead. For the red pepper spread I cheated and used a piri piri sauce but will make my own next time. Had trouble finding sliced turkey so I had to sub sliced chicken and had to sub provolone cheese for cheddar.. still tasted good, im definitely converted to using hot sauce in sarnies!
Made these with mini French rolls from a Chicago icon Turano bread. Crisp up the rolls in a 275° oven for about 10 minutes or until you can smell them. Made all the slaw and roasted red pepper spread as recipe called for with a little bit of tweaking by my eye. Each one needs to be assembled. Lay down the red pepper spread, then the meats and cheese, and then the slaw. Sort of crushing your hands, set them aside and move onto the next. Wrap each in wax paper. Condiments, like aïoli or giardinera (mild or spicy) is optional for your guests.
I brought these to a picnic with customers and vendors. People couldn’t stop talking to me about how much they loved this sandwich.