Kmart Subs
Bring a little nostalgia to lunch with these copycat Kmart Subs made with your favorite lunch meat, cheese, and toppings (all wrapped in plastic wrap, of course!)
A NOSTALGIC LUNCH RECIPE
I used to get these Kmart Subs for lunch a lot. Kmart was right across the street from where I worked and it was a steal of a lunch deal. You’d get the deli sub, some chips, and a fountain drink all for $2.99. The Kmart deli would make the subs in the morning, wrap them in plastic and put them into the cooler. I’d pop over on my lunch break, grab one and go! I miss those days sometimes. All the flavors melded nicely together since they were chilling in the plastic wrap for a couple of hours before I came along. It’s a great combination of flavors, perfect for a make-ahead lunch or for a picnic!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Of course you can! When making these subs, I just kept them like the original. I don’t know why, but my Kmart never added mayonnaise. But, they did put the mayo packets on the side so you could add them yourself.
The bun can be kind of hard to close up with all the fillings. I used a butter knife to help keep all the toppings in while I closed it up, then it was easier to squish down and wrap.
Yes, just like Kmart did, you can make these in the morning, then wrap them and keep them in the fridge until lunch time. I prefer them that way.
I do suggest eating these the same day that you make it. They may become mushy (because of the lettuce and tomato) if left in the fridge for too long. Or if you know they will be in the refrigerator for more than one day, just don’t add the lettuce and tomatoes until ready to eat.
Yup! Not a fan of any of the original meats used on these subs? Use whatever you enjoy and have on hand.
These subs are best the day you make them. I’d eat them the same day and not keep them. I also would not try to freeze them.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- soft sub rolls
- yellow mustard
- Genoa salami
- bologna
- honey ham
- American cheese
- tomatoes
- shredded lettuce
- white onion
- banana peppers
- dill pickle chips
HOW TO MAKE KMART SUBS
Open the rolls and place them inside up on a large sheet tray, try to keep the bread intact and not rip it down the seam. Spread the mustard on each side.
Top each sub evenly with the salami, bologna, ham, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, banana peppers, and pickles. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap.Close one of the subs, kind of smush it so it compacts, and wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap. Repeat with the other subs.
Serve immediately or place in the fridge until ready to serve.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Italian Sub Squares
- Grinder Salad Sandwich
- Italian Sub Skewers
- Italian Grinder Sliders
- Muffaletta Sandwich
- Fried Baloney Sandwich
- Shrimp Po Boys
- Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders
- Meatball Sub Cups
- Maid Rites (Loose Meat Sandwiches)
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Subs
Kmart Subs
Ingredients
- 4 soft sub rolls
- 4 Tablespoons yellow mustard (more or less to taste)
- 12 slices Genoa salami
- 8 slices bologna
- 8 slices honey ham
- 4 slices American cheese, cut in half
- 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- banana peppers (to taste)
- dill pickle chips (to taste)
Instructions
- Open 4 soft sub rolls and place them (inside facing up) on a large sheet tray, try to keep the bread intact and not rip it down the seam.
- Spread 4 Tablespoons yellow mustard evenly on each side of all the buns (this is more or less to your tastes).
- Top each of the 4 subs evenly with 12 slices Genoa salami, 8 slices bologna, 8 slices honey ham, 4 slices American cheese, cut in half, 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced, 2 cups shredded lettuce, 1 white onion, thinly sliced and banana peppers and dill pickle chips.
- Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap.
- Close one of the subs, kind of smush it so it compacts, and wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap. Repeat with the other subs.
- Serve immediately or place in the fridge until ready to serve (I recommend this for best results).
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
What a wonderful blast from the past!!!
I’m 64 and grew up in Michigan. These sandwiches were practically a staple! My brothers and I used to drive our mother crazy, every time we went to K-Mart, begging for these fantastic treats! HAHAHA
I was sharing these memories with the high school student working the deli counter at Publix, yesterday, while he was slicing the meats for me to make these! To be honest, I think he was a little jealous!
I miss the Kmart subs I’m 58 years old and remember them
I haven’t tried this yet but the word K-mart caught my eye. I worked at K-mart when I was a teenager and had the best time with the best coworkers. I haven’t thought about it in years but they did offer good lunches at affordable prices! Thanks for sharing and for the trip down memory lane!
Thank you so much for posting this!! I’m really old but was thinking about and missing these sandwiches. I was enjoying these long before any of the now sandwich shops were around. Hands down, far better than all of them put together!! And thanks to you I’m using my homemade hoagie rolls. Even Rain Man would love them!!…….
I love how many memories this is bringing back for so many folks! I know it’s not really a “recipe” but it is nice to think about those days through food, right? Thanks so much for commenting!
For me…
Replace meat with Tofurkey and away we go!!
Thanks for the memory!
Cheers!
Thank-you for the walk down Memory Lane! We use to pick these up on our way to the Beach. They are the best! Making them this weekend! I LOVE all your Recipes!
You are so sweet – thank you so very much Brenda! I am so happy you’re here!
OMG, I forgot about these! We used to pack a cooler full for picnics. Thanks so much for the reminder and recipe.
Yum I used to make this at Kresge (Kmart) later when I was in high school.
On Saturdays they sold like hot cakes.
you need the ham sandwich recipe now that you have the sub sandwich recipe
I do! I’ll work on that one next! 🙂
This is awesome. I remember having a Super Kmart across the street and had everything you can imagine.
This looks so good – I really want it for lunch today! I worked at K-Mart in high school and I don’t remember eating there much. Its a shame because I would have loved these.