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Muffaletta sandwich (sometimes also spelled as muffUletta vs. muffAleta) - a classic sandwich with Italian roots originating from New Orleans.
First time I've ever heard of muffaletta sandwich was last year, when a friend of mine started raving about this wonderful sandwich she had the day before at a restaurant nearby. The next day the word "muffaletta" would not get out of my head (and vocabulary) so we went to that restaurant and bought ourselves 2 muffaletta sandwiches. I still remember biting into a crunchy marinated olive mix and thin slices of ham, salami, and provolone cheese - all of that goodness wrapped up in a freshly baked Italian-style bread which soaked in the olive oil and other flavors from marinated olives, enjoying every bite, wishing this sandwich never ended... It was THE ultimate deliciousness!
So what is a muffaletta sandwich (sometimes also spelled as muffUletta vs. muffAleta)? It turns out it's a classic sandwich with Italian roots originating from New Orleans. Muffuletta is actually a name for a special type of Sicilian bread used specifically to make this sandwich. You can also use a single loaf of Italian-style bread or foccacia bread - enough to serve 4-6 people, depending on your appetites. For a shortcut, I even used sandwich buns, sandwich ciabatta bread in particular goes exceptionally well.
What really makes this sandwich is the olive mix. I usually go to the olive bar at a grocery store and buy an assortment of different types of olives (black, green, and any other type you can find), pickled small peppers, and pickled vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower, celery. Just like what you can see on this photo:
I then finely chop all these pickled olives and vegetables, using food processor, until they become almost like a spread, but still crunchy. Then, I spread this olive mix on BOTH sides of the sandwich bread - on the bottom and top pieces of bread, spreading the mix to saturate the bread with oil. Just like this, or you can be even more generous:
Finally I layer the bottom slice of the sandwich bread with salami, ham, cheese and remaining olive mix if desired and top with the top piece of bread. That's it! Muffaletta sandwich is ready, and when wrapped and refrigerated, it gets even better the next day!
Muffaletta Sandwich
Ingredients
Ingredients for olive salad:
- 1 cup marinated olives , assorted, pitted, of different colors
- ⅓ cup pimiento (pickled small green and red peppers)
- ⅓ cup pickled mix of crunchy vegetables , such as pickled carrots, pickled cauliflower, pickled celery
- some marinated pepperoncini , if desired
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Ingredients for sandwich:
- 1 loaf bread (Italian-style or focaccia, or ciabatta bread, enough to make 4 sandwiches, or just use 4 regular sandwich buns)
- 6 ounces salami , thinly sliced
- 6 ounces ham , thinly sliced
- 6 ounces provolone cheese thinly sliced
Instructions
- To make olive salad, combine olives, green and red peppers, pickled vegetables, capers, pepperoncini, and olive oil in a food processor. Process until finely chopped but still coarse and crunchy, just like you see on my photos.
- Slice the loaf of bread in half length-wise (optionally, you can remove a little bit of the insides of the bread to make room for the olive mix). Or, if you’re using sandwich buns, slice each bun in half.
- Spread about ⅓ cup of the olive mix on the bottom and top pieces of bread, spreading the mixture to saturate the bread with oil. Layer the bottom bread with the slices of salami, ham, cheese, and remaining olive mix to taste. Top with the top piece of bread.
- Cut this stuffed loaf of bread into 4 or 6 sandwiches (depending on your appetite). Serve immediately, or, alternatively, wrap each sandwich tightly in paper or plastic wrap and let sandwiches sit for about 30 minutes to let the oil soak into the bread. Unwrap and serve!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I adore Muffaletta sandwiches as the salty and tang flavors are just so refreshing and I always go back for more. 🙂 Yours look delectable!
This looks delicious and very moist for an Italian sandwich - they do like them a little on the simple and dry side. That mixture would be what makes this so good.
I've never made my own muffaletta but this robust sandwich would be a great make ahead for a picnic or hike! Just exceptional!
The sandwich looks totally tasty, Julia. I can't wait to try your chopped olive salad.
Muffaletta was one of my favorite things when I visited NOLA last year. Yours looks like " I want to sink my teeth in it" . hehe.
I'm such an olive lover, I know this would be a hit, it looks quite wonderful!
Mouth-watering goodness! I just discovered these too!
My comments aren't here dear Julia:) Left 2 as my profile pic was of a different person:)
Those 2 comments finally went through - they were held back by my spam filter. So funny !!!
This is not a common sandwich in Australia but my yank innards remembers. This is a wonderful sandwich and I should make one soon.
I've never heard of this. I used to have a regular sandwich from the local deli where I used to live, with red pepper pate and sliced green olives... that's the only time I've had olives in a sandwich.
Oh my! I've heard of a muffaletta sandwich, but I've never known what was in it. This sounds fantastic. 🙂
very fun! I've never heard of this! These would be great to take with... I hate 'dry' sandwiches so this would be a perfect treat for on the road etc...
Beautiful and scrumptious looking sandwich, Julia! I'm addicted to those little 'mini pickled red peppers'. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
That's not my profile pic though:)
Ha-ha! Now I know what you mean that it's not your pic! 🙂
I made different versions yrs ago after tasting a Gourmet or BA recipe at a friend's and was HOOKED..
Yours looks divine!
I just made a new tapenade.. pretty crazy about olives..
This looks wonderful Julia!