• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Celebration Generation
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Shop
  • Gluten-Free
  • Low Carb
  • Camping
  • Spandex
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Media
  • Gluten-Free
  • Low Carb
  • Camping
  • Spandex
  • Join us on Social Media - Food

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Join us on Social Media - Costuming, Etc

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Sandwiches

    Muffaletta Sandwich

    Published: Feb 13, 2023

    Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

    Sharing is caring!

    • Reddit
    • Email
    • Tweet
    • Share
    • Tumblr
    Jump to Recipe - Jump to Video

    The Muffaletta is a New Orleans Sandwich that's hearty, full of flavour, and a crowd pleaser! This delicious sandwich recipe got me a wedding ring, but YMMV 🙂

    Originally published March 8, 2011. Updated on 2/13/2023

    A large muffaletta sandwich: A full loaf of bread, stuffed with many layers of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.

    Though I've never been to the Big Easy during the Mardi Gras celebrations, this time of year holds a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons.

    For one, it brings back a lot of memories of a trip to New Orleans (in the summertime, though!), back in 2005 (Immediately pre-Katrina).

    A bunch of friends and I stayed in the French Quarter, and man.. what a wild amount of culture is packed into one place! The sights, the sounds.. the food! Great times.

    Anyway, more importantly, it reminds me of getting engaged to my husband.

    Sounds kinda weird, huh? It gets better. He proposed to me as the result of a very famous New Orleans sandwich - the Muffaletta!

    He'd never heard of them before, but had a rabid love of olives - I knew he’d love the olive dressing involved with that delicious Italian sandwich I'd experienced in New Orleans.

    I decided that he HAD to try one.

    Muffulettas appeared to be pretty hard to come by in Minnesota, so I made him one, from scratch. He went out and bought my ring the next day! LOL.

    So, in honor of Fat Tuesday, here is my muffaletta sandwich recipe.

    No guarantee that you'll have the same sparkly results from serving it (it ended up being the most expensive sandwich he'd ever had, lol!), but if you like olives, I'm sure you'll love it!

    Looking for Muffaletta flavours in a less carb / gluten intense format? Check out my Muffaletta Stuffed Meatloaf, and my Muffaletta Skewers recipe!

    A lot of the same great ingredients, in an even more shareable format!

    A close up view of a wedge of New Orleans Muffuletta, with the whole sandwich behind it.

    What is a Muffaletta?

    IMHO New Orleans Muffalettas (or Muffuletta, both seem to be acceptable ways of spelling it!) is the king of all sandwiches.

    The classic New Orleans sandwich was invented by Sicilian immigrant Salvatore Lupo at Central Grocery Store on Decatur Street in New Orleans back in 1906.

    Muffuletta sandwiches were a way for workers - Many Italian immigrants, including many Sicilian immigrants - to conveniently combine the elements of their standard lunches - bread, pickles, meat, and cheese.

    Basically, a loaf of bread, stacked with cheeses and deli meats that are crowned with a generous serving of Olive Salad.

    The flavour-infused olive oil from the salad soaks into the bread, making these pretty much the only salad I prefer made well ahead of time.

    I’ll make a muffuletta sandwich a day or so ahead of time, wrap it up, and keep it in the fridge until shortly before serving.

    Take it out, slice it up, and go - it’s one of my favorite things to serve, this time of year.

    Between the Superbowl and Fat Tuesday / Mardi Gras - it just fits!

    A large wedge of muffaletta sandwich: A full loaf of bread, stuffed with many layers of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.

    Muffaletta Sandwich Ingredients

    Let’s take a deeper dive into the key ingredients that make up this great sandwich, shall well?

    Most of these should be available in larger grocery stores, but definitely available in Italian markets, should you have access to any!

    As with many recipes, the quality of the ingredients you use will definitely impact the quality of the final sandwich.

    The Best Muffaletta Bread

    First, you want to start off with - ideally - a loaf of Italian bread... just not necessarily a crusty Italian bread.

    Look for a round loaf of bread with a bit of heft - it needs to hold up to the ingredients, so you want a sturdy bread! - but also that’s got some softness to it.

    TOO crusty makes it too hard to eat, after all!

    Traditionally, Muffalettas are made on a flat loaf that’s covered in sesame seeds, with a soft crust. They can be difficult to find outside of Louisiana, though, so be prepared to look for “close enough”.

    This time around, we found a beautiful Calabrese loaf from Roma Bakery here in Hamilton.

    We’re kind of spoiled by the amount of fantastic Italian food - and Italian grocery stores - here! Great bread is all around, so there’s always something that can stand in for a muffuletta loaf.

    When we were still living in Minnesota, we’d usually have to settle for a loaf of sourdough bread, or some Ciabatta bread.

    When using a taller loaf - like the sour dough bread pictured - I’ll usually carve a bit of the bread out. I realize that this is HIGHLY controversial, but seriously it makes it a lot easier to eat it!

    If you have access to it, though, you’ll want to use actual muffuletta bread - it’s a Sicilian bread with sesame seeds.

    A loaf of calabrese bread, to be made into a muffuletta sandwich.

    Olive Salad

    This olive salad mix is a condiment fairly specific to this sandwich, a kind of olive tapenade.

    This olive mix is made from a black olives, green olives - stuffed with red peppers - and a variety of pickled vegetables, seasonings - especially pressed garlic cloves and dried oregano - and olive oil.

    It’s super easy to make, especially if you have a food processor to make the chopped olives.

    Alternately, you can buy it. Central Grocery Olive Salad is the OG salad for this sandwich!

    I have a great recipe for Olive Salad Recipe, so check it out if making it yourself!

    Just be sure to make it a day ahead of time - you want to give it a chance for the flavours to infuse the olive oil, it really does make a difference for the sandwich!

    Aside from Muffalettas, I like to spread this on Italian sub sandwiches as well. Add some green onions, a splash of red wine vinegar sub sauce - yum!

    A close up view of a bowl of muffaletta olive spread.

    A fresh batch of homemade olive salad.

    The Meats

    You’ll want a variety of deli meats for this, preferably Italian cold cuts. I go with a pretty standard combination of Italian deli meats:

    Mortadella
    Genoa Salami
    Ham

    When shopping for this muffaletta recipe, I tend to think of the variety of meats in categories.

    There are 3 categories of Italian meats used in this sandwich, each should be represented - IMHO - but reasonable substitutions from in that category are perfectly ok.

    1. “Bologna-Adjacent”: Yup, that’s the way I chose to describe mortadella... but where’s the lie? It’s basically fancy Italian bologna! If you can’t find some, really thinly sliced bologna works.

    2. Salami-ish: Pretty straightforward. I like to stick to Genoa salami when I can. Sometimes I’ll use soppressata, but in a pinch... pretty much any salami will work. Just have it sliced as thinly as possible!

    3. Ham: Generally speaking, capicola ham - an Italian ham - is the gold standard here... I just never seemed to be able to find it, when looking to make one of these when I was still in the USA!

    So, when it’s not available, I go for regular ham, usually - honey baked, usually... black forest ham if it’s all I can find.

    Prosciutto also works for this category, but I tend to be looking for ways to cut the cost, by the time I get to the ham-type element, LOL. This is not a cheap endeavor!

    A cutting board with the deli meats and cheeses to make a muffuletta.

    The Cheeses

    I like to use equal amounts of 2 different sliced cheeses: provolone cheese and mozzarella.

    You can also use one or the other, different ratios, or bring in another cheese altogether - just try to stay close to the idea of provolone or mozzarella cheese.

    Fontina works well, but I’d stay away from anything smoked, really pungent, aged/dry, etc. Think “mild and smooth”!

    Some people like to include Swiss cheese, as well.

    A cutting board with the deli meats and cheeses to make a muffaletta sandwich.

    How to Make a Muffaletta Sandwich

    The full recipe follows - in the recipe card at the end of this post - but here’s a pictorial overview

    Slice loaf of bread in half horizontally. Scoop out a bit of the bread inside, if needed (I like to freeze it to make stuffing with at a later date!).

    This slightly hollowed center of the loaf allows room for all of the meats, cheeses, and salad you’ll be stuffing the sandwich with.

    If the oil in your olive salad has solidified, warm up about 2 cups of salad in the microwave, just until the oil has liquified.

    Drizzle some of the salad oil on the cut side of both halves of the loaf (the extra oil adds a lot of flavour to the bread!), and spread with olive salad.

    Use as much/little of the ~ 2 cups as you want.

    A two part image showing the loaf of bread split in 2 and spread with olive salad.

    Alternate layers of meat and cheeses on the bottom half of the bread to construct the sandwich.

    I like to layer the meats and cheese - ½ of each type at a time, for a total of 10 layers - but feel free to construct it however you like.

    An 8 part image showing the various layers of meat and cheeses being formed.

    Personally, I like to alternate meats and cheeses, but you do you! 🙂

    Carefully cover with the top half of the loaf.

    A two part image showing the finished layered sandwich, before and after the top is placed on it.

    Wrap tightly with plastic wrap / Saran wrap, chill for 30 minutes minimum, but ideally 1-2 hours.

    Note: Some people like to weight down the top of the sandwich with a heavy object to compress it, but I like the visual of the un-compressed sandwich, as shown!

    A two part image showing the wrapped whole muffaletta, then the unwrapped sandwich being sliced into wedges.

    To serve, unwrap the whole thing and cut into wedges. For the best flavor, serve after it comes up to room temperature.

    Makes 6-8 muffaletta sandwiches, depending on appetite!

    A large muffaletta sandwich: A full loaf of bread, stuffed with many layers of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.

    More Sandwich Recipes

    Love sandwiches, or just want some new ideas for your lunches? We've got you covered!
    Apple Chicken Burgers with Basil & Gouda
    Buffalo Chicken Buns
    Convention Sloppy Joes
    Copycat White Castle Burgers
    Dukkah Spiced Falafel Burgers
    Dukkah Spiced Lamb Burgers
    Fancy Tea Sandwiches
    Juicy Goosey Burger
    Moroccan Spiced Lamb Burgers with Pea Hummus, Goat Cheese, and Beets
    Paneer Burgers
    Pesto Chicken Panini
    Reuben Buns
    Spinach Feta Salmon Burgers
    Spinach Hand Pies
    Tandoori Spiced Chicken Burgers with Mango
    Ultimate Lobster Rolls
    Vegetarian Chorizo Burgers with Grilled Poblano & Cilantro Pesto
    Vegetarian Donairs (and Vegan Donair Meat)
    Wild Rice & Mushroom Polenta Sandwich

    A large muffaletta sandwich: A full loaf of bread, stuffed with many layers of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @CelebrationGen. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes to a board!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below, and maybe even sharing this post on social media!

    A close up view of a wedge of Muffaletta sandwich, with the remaining loaf behind it.

    A large muffaletta sandwich: A full loaf of bread, stuffed with many layers of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    4.85 from 32 votes

    Epic Muffaletta Sandwich [New Orleans Muffuletta]

    The Muffaletta is a New Orleans Sandwich that's hearty, full of flavour, and a crowd pleaser! This recipe got me a wedding ring, but YMMV 🙂
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Chilling Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8 People
    Calories: 746kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Ingredients

    • 1 Large Round Italian Loaf Or Sourdough
    • 2 Cups Olive Salad or more, if you'd like!
    • ½ lb Thinly Sliced Mortadella
    • ½ lb Thinly Sliced Genoa Salami
    • ½ lb Thinly Sliced Ham
    • ½ lb Provolone Cheese Sliced
    • ½ lb Mozzarella Cheese Sliced

    Instructions

    • If necessary, slice loaf of bread in half horizontally. Scoop out a bit of the bread inside (I like to freeze it to make stuffing with at a later date!).
      This allows room for all of the meats, cheeses, and salad you’ll be stuffing the sandwich with.
    • If the oil in your olive salad has solidified, warm up about 2 cups of salad in the microwave, just until oil has liquified.
      Drizzle some of the salad oil on cut side of both halves of the loaf, and spread with olive salad. Use as much / little of the ~ 2 cups as you want.
    • Layer meats and cheeses on the bottom half of the loaf to construct the sandwich – I like to alternate meats and cheeses, but feel free to go your own way with it.
    • Carefully cover with the top half of the loaf.
    • Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, chill for 30 minutes.
    • To serve, unwrap and cut into wedges.

    Video

    Notes

    Serves 6-8+ people, depending on appetite!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 746kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1958mg | Potassium: 417mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 441IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 368mg | Iron: 2mg

    A large muffaletta sandwich: A full loaf of bread, stuffed with many layers of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.

    Related posts:

    The Juicy Goosey Burger A large platter of fancy tea sandwiches. Cucumber cream cheese finger sandwiches, egg salad pinwheels, and tarragon chicken salad triangles. Fancy Tea Sandwiches Spinach Pine Nut Ravioli Spinach Pine Nut Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce Close up view of a vegetarian donair - a pita bread folded around a pile of vegan donair "meat" slices, chopped red peppers, and donair sauce drizzled on top. Vegetarian Donairs

    More Sandwiches

    • A Middle eastern spiced beyond burger with pea hummus, beet slices, and goat cheese, on a sesame bun.
      Moroccan Spiced Beyond Burgers
    • A tuna burger with ginger slaw and wasabi mayo, on a plate with fries.
      Ahi Tuna Burgers
    • A lemongrass chicken banh mi burger, with cucumbers, pate, cilantro, jalapenos, and pickled root veggies.
      Banh Mi Burgers
    • A Mediterranean chicken burger. The chicken patty is flecked with spinach and feta, there are fries behind it.
      Mediterranean Chicken Burgers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. nancy

      January 25, 2022 at 12:28 pm

      5 stars
      this monstrous sammy is so decadent!! super tasty !

      Reply
    2. Colleen

      January 25, 2022 at 5:58 pm

      5 stars
      This is one spectacular sandwich! The olive salad looks amazing, and I love the story behind it. I hope you celebrate anniversaries with a muffaletta sandwich!

      Reply
    3. Carolyn

      January 26, 2022 at 12:25 pm

      I am hungry at the moment and I am absolutely drooling over this sandwich. I love sandwiches with lots of varied ingredients and this sure fits the bill. I slice would be like a meal on its own I would think!

      Reply
    4. Bev

      January 29, 2022 at 8:43 pm

      5 stars
      Great story and excellent description of how to make this delicious sandwich.

      Reply
      • Marie Porter

        January 29, 2022 at 8:48 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    5. Julia

      January 31, 2022 at 8:25 am

      5 stars
      My 17 year old would go crazy for this sandwich, epic!!! Thanks for sharing, saving for later.

      Reply
    6. Terri

      January 31, 2022 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      That's one incredible sandwich, given it got you a ring! As an olive lover myself, I totally get it!!

      Reply
    7. nancy

      February 15, 2023 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      first how did this sandwich get you a wedding ring? Share!
      otherwise, i never tried Muffaletta before but am looking forward to making this New Orleans Sandwich! Just running to the grocer to pick up the ingredients now!

      Reply
    8. Bernice

      February 16, 2023 at 1:29 pm

      5 stars
      You're killing me here! If you weren't already taken I'd marry you myself lol.
      Seriously though, I've had a Muffaletta in NOLA and this is most definitely a reasonable facsimile. That olive salad is on point too.

      Reply
    9. Vanessa

      February 16, 2023 at 3:56 pm

      5 stars
      I've been to New Orleans a number of times and a muffaletta was always a must and always shared! My husband is going to be SO HAPPY when I make him this!

      Reply
    10. Sean

      February 20, 2023 at 4:43 pm

      5 stars
      I'm not looking for a husband... but I can definitely understand how this sandwich would attract some suitors! Lol. You've done a heck of a job with this recipe. Love all the tips and pointers too. Sandwich recipes can be a bit deceptive - they seem so simple, and yet they're hard to really perfect. Awesome work.

      Reply
    11. Emma

      November 01, 2023 at 2:18 am

      I looked through many different websites trying to find the one I liked best, and this is IT! Thank you for taking the time to explain everything! We are going to make this this weekend. What a treat!

      Reply
    4.85 from 32 votes (23 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Marie Porter


    Evil Cake Overlord, All -Around Kitchen Badass!

    More about me →


    Join us on Social Media

    Bluesky Logo - White on Blue background. Pinterest Logo - White on red background. Youtube Logo - White on red background.

    More Than Poutine: A Uniquely Canadian Cookbook.
    Learn to sew with spandex

    Most Recent Posts

    • A bowl of Mexican street corn pasta salad, with rotini pasta, charred corn, crumbled cheese, green onions, and jalapenos in a creamy dressing.
      Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
    • 50+ Amazing Salad Recipes
    • 4 part image showing various different bagels. Overlaid text says 25 plus fantastic bagel recipes.
      Bagel Recipes
    • A sliced loaf of marbled chocolate and peanut butter banana bread.
      Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread


    META

    Site Admin

    Logout

    Entries Feed

    Footer

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact
    • Media

    Newsletter

    • Click here to sign up for emails and updates

    Our Other Blogs

    • Beyond Flour
    • Low Carb Hoser
    • 2 Nerds in a Truck
    • Spandex Simplified
    • Marie Back on Ice
    • Autism Rants

    Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. While I’ll only ever link to items that I, personally, wholeheartedly recommend, I do need to put that disclosure out there!

    Copyright © 2024 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.