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Muffuletta Sandwich

Muffuletta sandwich filled with homemade olive salad, Italian cured meats and cheese.
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This muffuletta is my take on the classic New Orleans sandwich, combining a homemade olive salad with layers of thinly sliced Italian cured meats and cheese. It’s the perfect make-ahead sandwich for feeding a crowd and, quite honestly, one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever eat!

If, like me, you’re not usually a fan of deli meat-heavy sandwiches, don’t write this one off just yet. The homemade olive salad is bright, tangy and wonderfully briny, cutting through the richness of the meats and cheese so every bite feels perfectly balanced. It brings all the flavours of a Sicilian antipasti platter into one epic sandwich.

  • Author: zenak
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes, plus optional overnight resting
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients

Scale

For the olive salad: 

  • 150g pitted olives, drained (I use Nocellara, but any variety works)
  • 2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
  • 1 tbsp capers, drained
  • 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½-1 tsp sugar (optional, to taste)

For the muffuletta:

  • 1 large round sourdough loaf (approx. 650g)
  • 100g salami slices (or soppressata)
  • 100g mortadella slices
  • 100g prosciutto di Parma slices (or coppa/capicola)
  • 100g provolone slices
  • 100g low-moisture mozzarella slices
  • handful of fresh basil leaves

Instructions

  1. Add the olives, roasted peppers, capers, parsley, olive oil, vinegar and sugar (if using) to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped but not completely smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed, then transfer to a bowl. Note: The olive salad is even better if made in advance, giving the flavours time to meld. Stored in an airtight container with a thin layer of olive oil over the top, it’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week. If you’re short on time, don’t worry – the flavours will continue to develop while the sandwich rests.
  2. Slice the top off the sourdough loaf and hollow out most of the crumb, leaving a sturdy shell for the filling (see the step-by-step photos in the blog post above to see what I mean if unclear). You can save the removed bread for homemade breadcrumbs or croutons.
  3. Spread half of the olive salad over the base of the loaf, making sure to spoon over some of the juices too. Layer over half of the salami, half of the mortadella, half of the prosciutto, all of the provolone and a generous layer of basil leaves. Repeat with the remaining salami, mortadella and prosciutto, then finish with the mozzarella and another layer of basil. Spoon over the remaining olive salad, again making sure to include the juices. Place the lid back on the loaf and press down firmly to compress everything.
  4. Wrap the sandwich tightly in cling film, place something heavy on top and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. This gives the olive salad time to soak into the bread and allows the sandwich to compress, making it much easier to slice.
  5. Bring to room temperature before cutting into wedges and serving.

Notes

A traditional muffuletta is made with a round, sesame-topped Italian loaf. I use sourdough instead because it’s much easier to find, has fantastic flavour and, most importantly, it holds up beautifully after resting without becoming soggy.

Find it online: https://zenaskitchen.com/muffuletta-sandwich/

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