Muffuletta | The Recipe Critic

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

1. 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

2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Serve: Cut the sandwich into quarters and enjoy!