This Italian pressed sandwich is a hearty sandwich loaded with Italian cold cuts, cheese and seasonings. Perfect for picnics, game day parties, or any day ending with “y”.
Italian Pressed Sandwiches are one of my absolute *favorite* sandwiches. They are loaded with all kinds of goodies, then pressed together so that everything melds together.
You guys, they are perfect. They are my go-to sandwiches when we are planning a picnic or game day celebrations. They are easy to make and can even be made in advance to make taking them on camping trips even easier!
What is a pressed sandwich?
What are Italian pressed sandwiches you ask? First, you take all of that goodness, the bread, the meats, the cheese, the veggies, the herbs and tapenade and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Then you place it in the fridge with a heavy pan, think cast iron skillet, on top. This makes all of those delicious flavors come together and make even more scrumptious flavor babies, resulting in one of the best picnic sandwiches ever to grace a picnic table.
What ingredients do you need to make a Pressed Italian Sandwich?
THE BREAD: It starts with the bread. It HAS to be crusty. Because you are pressing it overnight you don’t want something too soft or it will get soggy. Think cibatta or pugliese.
THE MEAT: An Italian sandwich is all about the cold cuts. This sandwich has capicola, calabrese and proscuitto. You can easily substitute hard salami, ham, sopressata or even pepperoni. Whatever suits your fancy. Whatever you do, do a combo, 3 is usually a good variety.
THE CHEESE: I love provolone on an Italian sandwich but you also can’t go wrong with mozzarella. Like ever.
THE FINISHINGS: Finally you get all the finishing toppings like the roasted red peppers, arugula, dressing and my favorite part, the olive tapenade. You can usually find it in the deli section of your grocery store. Some store-bought versions can be a little on the bitter side so you might have to shop around until you find one that you love.
Everything, I’ve mentioned above makes a delicious Italian sandwich, but Italian pressed sandwiches are even better.
How do you make Italian Pressed Sandwiches?
It is pretty easy! The hardest part is waiting for the sandwich to press.
STEP #1: Roast the red pepper. Turn on oven broiler and broil red pepper until the skin starts to blacken. About 5 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool and slice.
STEP #2: In a bowl, mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and dijon mustard. Set aside while you prepare the sandwich.
STEP #3: Spread the olive tapenade on the bottom half bread. Place the rest of the toppings, in the following order, on top: provolone cheese, roasted red pepper, capicola, calabrese, proscuitto, parsley and arugula. Drizzle the olive oil/balsamic dressing over the top.
STEP #4: Wrap entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and place a heavy bottom skillet, such as cast iron, on top of the sandwich. Allow to set for at least 1 hour.
These Italian Pressed Sandwiches are just begging to be made for your next picnic. You can even make them a day in advance!
Note: This post was originally published 2014. It was updated with new step by step photos, nutrition information and a video in 2021.
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper (halved, seeds and veins removed)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 loaf crusty Italian bread (ie cibatta cut in half lengthwise)
- 1/2 cup olive tapenade
- 4 - 5 slices provolone cheese
- 8 slices capicola or hard salami
- 8 slices calabrese or sopressata
- 4 slices proscuitto
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup baby arugula
Instructions
- Roast the red pepper. Turn on oven broiler and broil red pepper until the skin starts to blacken. About 5 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool and slice.
- In a bowl, mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and dijon mustard. Set aside while you prepare the sandwich.
- Spread the olive tapenade on the bottom half bread. Place the rest of the toppings, in the following order, on top: provolone cheese, roasted red pepper, capicola, calabrese, proscuitto, parsley and arugula. Drizzle the olive oil/balsamic dressing over the top. Place the top half of the loaf on top.
- Wrap entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and place a heavy bottom skillet, such as cast iron, on top of the sandwich. Allow to set for at least 1 hour.
- Slice sandwich into 8 - 10 pieces and serve.
This Mufaletta recipe looks amazing! I love the layers of flavors and how customizable it is. Can’t wait to try it for my next get-together. Thanks for sharing!
This Mufaletta recipe looks amazing! I love how you’ve shared the history behind the sandwich too. Can’t wait to try making it at home – the layers of flavor are calling my name! Thank you for sharing!
This would really hit the spot for lunch today!
This couldn’t look any more perfect!
These are so perfect for game day parties!
This sandwich looks so inviting! Would be perfect for my lunch box!
YES, these are absolutely scrumptious! It’s way too late at night to eat but boy, do I want one!
These look so tasty! I’ll be making this for lunch tomorrow !
These are so good and I love them for weekend lunches. The sauce just makes the sandwich!
Anita- I am so happy to hear that!! This is one of our favorite sandwiches too! :)
I made this sandwich when you first posted it years ago and have made it for every get together where a big sandwich is appropriate since! I love it and it can be modified to fit what I have on hand or on sale! The sauce is the BEST part!! Thank you for sharing, you make me look like a wiz in the kitchen!
That is totally and completely my kind of sandwich!
This looks amazing!
I love that olive tapenade. I never thought about putting it on a sandwich!
Look so tasty! Definitely a must try!
Sounds like a good excuse to plan a picnic! Looks delicious!
This will be a huge hit in my house! Looks fantastic!
Such a delicious lunch recipe!
I want to have this for lunch!
Love Italian Food.
[…] Italian pressed sandwiches are hearty sandwiches loaded with great Italian ingredients and seasonings. Perfect for picnics, game day parties, or any day ending with “y”. […]
These are my favorite types of sandwiches, especially with the right kind of bread. Swoon.
Great looking sandwich, hearty and filling for both lunch and dinner
Now his looks like my kind of sandwich girlfriend! Especially with all that crust bread goodness going on! Pinned!
So funny, my husband is named Ryan too – and he would LOVE this sandwich. He talks about guest posting on my blog and what he wants to post is a large sandwich!