Muffuletta
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Layers of tasty Italian cold cuts, cheese, and a yummy chopped olive salad are sandwiched between delicious traditional muffuletta bread to make this authentic Muffuletta sandwich! It’s a quick and easy New Orleans classic that will knock your socks off!
What Is A Muffuletta?
This famous New Orleans sandwich originated in the early 1900s when an Italian deli owner took a loaf of traditional Sicilian muffuletta bread, cut it in half, added layers of meats and cheeses, and then topped it with a fresh olive mixture.
Muffuletta is typically made with ham, salami, mortadella, Swiss cheese, and provolone. Yet, you can use any type of cold cuts or cheeses you like. But what really makes the sandwich is the delicious mixture of chopped olives and giardiniera, which is kind of similar to an Olive Tapenade but a little more chunky and a little more tart. The contrast between the saltiness of the pickled vegetables in the salad with the meat and cheese is phenomenal.
This is an unexplainably good sandwich and once you’ve tried this flavor combination there is no going back! Not to say that a more traditional deli-style Italian Sub isn’t good! Those too are amazing! But a homemade Muffuletta is a real treat! It’s like an Antipasto Platter in sandwich form!
Why You’ll Love This Muffuletta
- Quick and Easy! This simple sandwich takes basically no effort. The bread can be substituted if needed and the olive salad takes just minutes to make!
- Authentic New Orleans Recipe! With all the components of a traditional muffuletta, this recipe hits the mark and tastes just like it was made in NOLA!
- Party Perfect! This tasty sandwich is super easy to make ahead and full of flavor. Serve it at your next party or potluck and your guests are sure to be impressed!
Olive Mixture
- Giardiniera – A chunky Italian relish made with pickled vegetables such as carrots, peppers, chilis, and cauliflower.
- Olives – You need both green olives and kalamata olives for this olive spread.
- Oregano – Fresh is the best option but dried oregano works too if that’s all you’ve got.
- Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic for the best flavor. Store-bought garlic is often bitter due to preservatives.
- Shallots – I love to use shallots for their mild and sweet flavor, but you can also use yellow onions if that’s all you’ve got on hand.
- Olive Oil – Blends the olive spread together and adds even more delicious flavor.
- Red Wine Vinegar – Adds a touch of acid that helps to balance all the sweet and salty ingredients.
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper are used to season the olive mixture.
Sandwich
- Muffuletta Bread – It’s not always easy to find in the store, but you can use any type of rolls in place of the bread or make your Muffuletta Bread with this easy recipe.
- Genoa Salami – A salami from Genoa, Italy easily found in almost any market.
- Mortadella – A type of Italian lunch meat made of pork that is famous for having small chunks of fat for flavor.
- Swiss Cheese – A flavorful but mild cheese that you can find in any grocery store.
- Capicola – Similar to prosciutto, it’s a type of thinly sliced cured pork that’s popular in Italy.
- Provolone Cheese – It’s a mild cheese similar to mozzarella but a bit sharper in taste.
Sandwich making is not rocket science, so this muffuletta sandwich recipe is ridiculously easy! Impossible to mess up! Yet, for the best results, if you are going to make it ahead of time, you should wait to add the olive mixture to the sandwich right before serving.
Make The Olive Mixture
To begin, you need to make the muffuletta olive salad. You’ll need it ready to top the sandwich and it’s also good to make it first to give the flavors some time to meld together. So just mix all the olive mixture ingredients together in a medium bowl and then set it aside.
Prep The Bread
Once the olive salad is made, prepare your bread to fill! Start by slicing it in half horizontally and then scoop out some of the bread on the inside to make room for all the meats and cheeses.
Assemble The Sandwich
Now, let’s get to muffuletta making! To begin, spread half of the olive mixture on the bottom of the bread. Next, add layers of Genoa salami, mortadella, Swiss cheese, capicola, and provolone cheese. Then top with the other half of the olive mixture followed by the other slice of bread.
Finish And Serve
To complete the sandwich, press the top of the bread down to secure all the layers in place. Do this carefully without smashing the bread. Then slice it into quarters and serve with all your favorite sides like some Fried Pickles.
Can This Muffuletta Recipe Be Made With Any Bread?
Yes, of course! Ideally, muffuletta bread is the best option, but Italian sub bread will work as well as Ciabatta or Focaccia. Overall, something with a crust is always best over sandwich bread.
Can I Make This Sandwich Vegetarian?
Yes! Just substitute the meat for some vegetables like grilled eggplant and zucchini. You can also use baked tofu or seitan in place of the meat. Feel free to customize this recipe and be as creative as you like to suit your dietary needs.
Expert Tips
- Lazy olive mixture making. If you’re in a rush and just don’t have time to chop all the olives, garlic, and giardiniera by hand, you can carefully pulse it together using a food processor.
- Compress the sandwich. Do press the top of the sandwich down to flatten it just a bit. This is the authentic way to make the recipe.
- Eat hot or cold. It’s traditionally eaten cold but is also super yummy warmed up. Just wrap the sandwich in foil and put it in the oven or place it on the grill for a few minutes.
Leftovers
Assembled sandwiches will keep for up to 3 days when wrapped and stored in the fridge. To warm it up you can pop it in the microwave or oven for a few minutes on medium heat.
Other Delicious Sandwich Recipes To Try
- Steak Sandwich
- Turkey Panini
- Croque Monsieur
- Reuben Sandwich
- Ham And Cheese Sliders
- Hawaiian Ham And Cheese Stromboli
- Cuban Panini
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Muffuletta
Video
Ingredients
Olive Mixture
- 1 cup giardiniera (chopped)
- ½ cup green olives (pitted, chopped)
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives (pitted, chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium shallot (minced)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Sandwich
- 1 10" muffuletta bread
- ½ pound genoa salami (sliced)
- ½ pound mortadella (sliced)
- ¼ pound swiss cheese (sliced)
- ½ pound capicola (sliced)
- ¼ pound provolone cheese (sliced)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Olive Mixture
- In a medium bowl, combine all the olive mixture ingredients together. Set aside.
Assemble The Muffuletta
- Slice the Muffuletta bread in half horizontally. Scoop out some of the interior of the bread to make room for the rest of the ingredients.
- Spread half of the olive mixture in the bottom of the bread then start layering with genoa salami, mortadella and swiss cheese slices.
- Continue layering with Capicolla and then provolone cheese. Top with the other half of the olive mixture, then the top bread slice.
- Lightly press the bread down and slice it into quarters and serve.
Notes
- Lazy olive mixture making. If you’re in a rush and just don’t have time to chop all the olives, garlic, and giardiniera by hand, you can carefully pulse it together using a food processor.
- Compress the sandwich. Do press the top of the sandwich down to flatten it just a bit. This is the authentic way to make the recipe.
- Eat hot or cold. It’s traditionally eaten cold but is also super yummy warmed up. Just wrap the sandwich in foil and put it in the oven or place it on the grill for a few minutes.
- Assembled sandwiches will keep for up to 3 days when wrapped and stored in the fridge. To warm it up you can pop it in the microwave or oven for a few minutes on medium heat.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
