Chicago-Style Italian Sausage Subs
When I first made this, my husband who grew up in Chicago said it reminded him of the subs he used to get at Portillos growing up. It is a tasty Italian sausage topped with a medley of sauteed peppers, onions, garlic & Italian spices. It is then finished off with a melting of mozzarella on top and all placed in a warm toasted bun.
When I first made this, my husband who grew up in Chicago said it reminded him of the subs he used to get at Portillos growing up. It is a tasty Italian sausage topped with a medley of sauteed peppers, onions, garlic & Italian spices. It is then finished off with a melting of mozzarella on top and all placed in a warm toasted bun.
- Carbohydrate 23.7365962850467 g
- Cholesterol 118.261457943925 mg
- Fat 47.5441469392523 g
- Fiber 3.12931252130866 g
- Protein 33.050353364486 g
- Saturated Fat 18.6453251845794 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (345g)
- Sodium 1310.18273364486 mg
- Sugar 20.6072837637381 g
- Trans Fat 2.65697209112149 g
- Calories 658 calories
Step-by-step
- Par-boil your sausages until cooked throughout. Finish them off on a grill or saute in a pan for another 5-10 minutes. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
- Place oil in a saute pan and grill onions until soft and tender. Add the red pepper, garlic and spices and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes & simmer on low for 10 minutes to marinate flavors.
- Lightly broil hoagie buns, just until slightly toasted. Remove from oven.
- Add Italian sausage, then some of tomato mixture to each hoagie roll. Sprinkle mozzarella over each sub sandwich & then broil for another 1-2 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese.
- Enjoy !
Diced tomatoes drive this entire sandwich, providing the necessary acidity and moisture to cut through heavy pork fat. Cooking fresh aromatics too aggressively remains the primary mistake home cooks make here. Onions and minced garlic require moderate heat in olive oil until translucent rather than brown, preventing acrid flavors from dominating the sweeter roasted red peppers. Par-boiling the sausage before searing ensures internal doneness without scorching the exterior casing, while simmering the tomato and pepper mixture for ten minutes concentrates the liquids into a cohesive sauce rather than a watery puddle. Toasting the hoagie buns under the broiler for just thirty seconds creates a moisture barrier that keeps the bread from turning soggy under the weight of the filling. Grating fresh mozzarella yields superior melting properties compared to pre-shredded varieties coated in cellulose anti-caking agents. Layer crisp vinegar-based giardiniera alongside the finished subs to provide a sharp, pickled contrast to the rich, melted cheese and spiced meat.
