When I was pregnant this sandwich was truly all I craved. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and honestly most days I did. There was just something about the fresh crunchy vegetables mixed with the soft focaccia bread and creamy dressing that hit every single time.

I remember driving almost 30 minutes just to get the focaccia bread from Eataly because it was that good. The store itself was honestly such a fun experience too. It was this huge three story Italian market with little restaurants at the top, shelves filled with olive oils, pastas, candies, sauces, and all the cutest imported Italian foods you could imagine. One level was dedicated almost entirely to wine and another had fresh baked pastries, croissants, coffee, and bread. It felt like one of those places where you could wander around forever finding little treasures.

No matter where I got the bread from whether I was driving out to pick up focaccia or grabbing something from my local grocery store I always made sure the bread was super soft and fresh because let’s be real the bread is the star of the sandwich.

To this day it’s still one of my favorite comfort lunches when I want something fresh, filling, and packed with flavor.

My favorite deli style sandwich starts with soft focaccia bread layered with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, avocado, pepperoncinis, and provolone cheese. It’s crunchy, salty, creamy, tangy, and somehow feels super fresh while still being really satisfying.

But the dressing is what truly makes it.

I like making my own simple deli dressing using mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, very finely chopped red onion, very finely chopped pepperoncinis, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little kick. The chopped onion and pepperoncinis almost melt into the dressing and give it that perfect deli sandwich flavor.

Once everything is piled together it becomes one of those sandwiches that’s messy in the best possible way.

What You’ll Need

    •    Soft fresh focaccia bread

    •    Tomatoes

    •    Cucumbers

    •    Iceberg lettuce

    •    Kalamata olives

    •    Artichoke hearts

    •    Avocado

    •    Pepperoncinis

    •    Provolone cheese

Deli Dressing

    •    Mayonnaise

    •    Red wine vinegar

    •    Salt

    •    Pepper

    •    Italian seasoning

    •    Very finely chopped red onion

    •    Very finely chopped pepperoncinis

    •    Red pepper flakes

How I Make It

    1    Mix together all dressing ingredients until combined

    2    Spread dressing generously onto the bread

    3    Layer tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, olives, artichokes, avocado, pepperoncinis, and provolone

    4    Slice and enjoy immediately 🥪