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The Muffuletta is an iconic sandwich from New Orleans that is piled high with layers of meat, cheese and a delicious olive salad! Served on either Italian bread or muffuletta bread, you’ll be obsessed after the first bite!
Sandwiches are just so good, and there are so many different ways to make them! You’re going to want to try all of our favorites like this Cuban Sandwich, this really filling Corned Beef Sandwich, and this light and refreshing Cucumber Sandwich.
Muffuletta Recipe
This Muffuletta is the best option if you’re craving a meaty, cheesy, fresh sandwich with tons of texture and flavor! It tastes Italian, however no such sandwich exists in Italy. This epic sandwich actually originated in New Orleans at Central Grocery in 1906 where it is still made today.
It’s deliciously layered with Italian cold cuts, including capocollo, genoa salami and calabrese salami, sliced mozzarella and provolone cheese and an incredible homemade olive salad that’s the perfect contrast to the meat. We love to make this in advance for lunch parties and other gatherings. It’s always a hit! Serve it with air fryer potato chips, classic potato salad, cucumber tomato salad, or baked beans for a complete meal.
Ingredients Needed
This muffuletta tastes best with fresh ingredients! You should be able to find everything at your grocery store. There are quite a few ingredients but most are for the olive salad, which is super easy to make, and so worth it! You can find measurements below in the recipe card.
Olive salad
- Olives: You’ll need pitted green olives and black olives. The combination of the two varieties adds more complexity to the salad.
- Roasted Red Peppers: We like to use jarred roasted red peppers because they’re convenient and have great flavor.
- Capers: They have a similar taste to green olives, but with lemony undertones and a bit more tang.
- Garlic: Adds a slightly spicy, pungent taste, which is so great in salads!
- Dressing: Red wine vinegar and olive oil come together for the vinaigrette.
- Seasonings: A mix of parsley and oregano to season the salad.
- Salt and pepper: Brings all of the flavors together. Be careful not to use too much salt because the meats in this sandwich are naturally salty.
Sandwich
- Bread: Use a nice sturdy bread like Italian bread or muffuletta bread that is strong enough to hold a good amount of filling.
- Olive Oil: To lightly drizzle over the inside of the bread before assembling the sandwich.
- Meats: Genoa salami, calabrese salami and capocollo are all cured meats that have lots of spices added to make an amazing sandwich.
- Cheese: Sliced mozzarella cheese and sliced provolone are classic to the muffuletta, but you can use other types of cheese, if preferred.
How to Make a Muffuletta Sandwich
Making a muffuletta at home is really quite simple! Mix the olive salad together, then assemble your sandwich and devour. Everyone will be shocked that this masterpiece didn’t come from a fancy deli! Here’s how it comes together:
Make the olive salad
- For the Salad: Add the green and black olives, red peppers, capers, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse mince, you don’t want to over process the salad.
Assemble the sandwich
- Prep the Bread: Slice the bread in half and lightly brush each half with a little olive oil. Spread the olive salad on the bottom side of the sliced loaf.
- Layer Ingredients: On top of the olive salad layer the genoa salami, calabrese salami, capocollo, mozzarella, and provolone. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with the other side of the bread.
- Serve: Cut the sandwich into quarters and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
Here are some tips and tricks for a fuss-free muffuletta that your whole family is going to LOVE!
- Buying the Meat: For the meats on this sandwich you can substitute with any of your favorite cured/deli meats, buying a charcuterie trio meat pack is an easy way to find a good selection of meats for this sandwich.
- Extra Olive Salad: If you end up not wanting to use all the olive salad on the sandwich it also makes a great dip for crackers or bread.
- Choosing the Bread: You can use any kind of firm bread, something strong enough to hold the sandwich together, regular sliced bread might not be enough and traditionally this sandwich is made with muffuletta bread but that isn’t always easy to find.
- Make Ahead: Get a head start by having the olive salad made in advance. You can make it up to 24 hours ahead of time, and then store it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the sandwich.
- Make More: This recipe is for about 1 large sandwich. Consider scaling this recipe to feed more, if you’re serving a family or many people.
Storing Leftovers
To keep your muffuletta ingredients fresh and delicious, store the salad, meats and cheeses all separately from the bread, and refrigerate them until you’re ready to make the sandwich.
- Storing Assembled Sandwich: Once you’ve made the sandwich, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. However, it’s best to enjoy as soon as possible because the moisture from the salad and other filling ingredients can make the bread soggy over time.
More Sandwich Recipes
Everyone loves a delicious sandwich! Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner, we have so many wonderful sandwich recipes to share with you! Here are some family favs you’re going to want to try asap!
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Make the olive salad
-
Add the green and black olives, red peppers, capers, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse mince, you don’t want to over process the salad.
Assemble the sandwich
-
Slice the bread in half and lightly brush each half with a little olive oil. Spread the olive salad on the bottom side of the sliced loaf.
-
On top of the olive salad layer the genoa salami, calabrese salami, capocollo, mozzarella, and provolone. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with the other side of the bread.
-
Cut the sandwich into quarters and enjoy!
Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 930kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 55gFat: 81gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 191mgSodium: 5398mgPotassium: 505mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 107IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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