Give Your Next Italian Sub A Flavor Boost With This Garlicky Dip

Italian subs are chock-full of spiced and cured cold cuts, cheese, and veggies. These sandwich fillings are plenty flavorful, so the best way to complement them is with fittingly bold condiments. And you can give your next Italian sub a flavor boost with a robust garlicky dip known as bagna cauda.

A dish from the Piedmont region of Italy, bagna cauda is made with garlic, olive oil, butter,  and melted anchovies and packs a serious aromatic and umami punch. It is a warm sauce and dip traditionally served with raw vegetables for dipping, though it's also a dip we think roasted veggies crave. A condiment like bagna cauda will not only pair perfectly with the raw veggies in an Italian sub, but it'll also complement the Italian cold cuts and smoky, creamy provolone cheese. In fact, a recipe from the BBC Radio program "Saturday with John Toal" shows just how easy it is to convert bagna cauda into a sandwich filling by blending the traditional bagna cauda recipe with Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar to spread over crusty sourdough bread before layering on olive tapenade. The recipe then adds tomatoes, mozzarella balls, parma ham, salami, mixed lettuce leaves, basil, and red peppers. You can follow the BBC recipe, or swap the sourdough bread for a baguette or submarine roll, adding the veggies, meat, and cheese combinations of your choice, as all will benefit from the umami-rich bagna cauda spread.

While bagna cauda is a unique upgrade to your next Italian sub, there are plenty of other ways to elevate the sandwich. Whether you're using the hefty bagna cauda spread or the thinner sauce, a sandwich as loaded as an Italian sub could do with some structural reinforcement for the bread. Not only do you want to find a sturdy type of bread to hold all the ingredients, but slightly toasting it will provide an elegantly crispy introduction and finish to the fluffy bread and chewy fillings that lie within. Not only will raw veggies benefit from bagna cauda, but pickled veggies will as well. And pickled veggies bring a tangy, spicy element and a unique crunch that'll really add depth to the Italian sub. Try adding roasted red peppers, olives, and marinated artichokes to contribute even more aromatic, savory, and tangy flavor profiles. Use a diverse variety of thinly sliced cold cuts to really make your Italian sub as complex and decadent as possible. Even though the bagna cauda has olive oil in it, any good Italian sub worth its salt needs a finishing drizzle of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

If you're looking for even more sandwiches to try a creamy bagna cauda spread on, combine it with hard-boiled eggs, capers, and smashed avocado to make it a bona fide bagna cauda egg salad sandwich. An anchovy-forward spread would also bring out the flavors in tuna salad.