Authentic New Orleans Muffuletta

The muffuletta, a classic New Orleans sandwich, is surprisingly simple to make at home. This recipe — packed with savory cold cuts, melted cheese, and a zesty homemade olive spread — delivers an authentically delicious taste of New Orleans.

What Exactly is a Muffuletta?

A muffuletta is both a type of sandwich created by Italian immigrants in New Orleans and the round loaf of bread it’s served in. The sandwich features layers of deli meats like salami, ham, and mortadella, topped with a tangy olive spread. The large sandwich is usually cut into quarters, so a single loaf serves at least four people.

What Meats Go on a Muffuletta?

This classic muffuletta features a delicious combination of Genoa salami, mortadella, and thinly sliced cooked ham.

What Other Ingredients Will You Need?

Muffulettas are made with Italian bread (use store-bought or make your own), mozzarella and provolone cheese, and a flavorful olive salad. For the homemade olive salad, you'll need a mix of green and Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, pickled cauliflower, cocktail onions, garlic, capers, celery, carrots, spices, olive oil, canola oil, and red wine vinegar.

How to Prepare a Muffuletta at Home

The full, step-by-step recipe is below — but here’s a quick summary: Make the olive salad, assemble the sandwich, and cut into quarters. For best results, refrigerate the muffulettas for an hour or two to let the flavors blend and the olive juice soak into the bread.

Recipe Tip

What to Pair with Muffulettas

Turn your muffuletta into a complete meal by serving it alongside crispy French fries, a warm bowl of gumbo, or one of our favorite Cajun side dishes. Here are some delicious suggestions to try:

• Cajun Corn and Bacon Maque Choux
• Fried Okra
• Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

Dinogo Community Tips and Praise

"Perfection!" raves GoldenEye. "Tastes just like the muffuletta you’d get in New Orleans! It was so delicious, I made another one the very next week!"

"This is amazing," says Kelli H. "Great flavor and texture. It’s best on the second day. When making it the same day, I prepare it in the morning and let it soak up the dressing throughout the day. A must-have in my recipe collection!"

"This was absolutely amazing," shares a Dinogo community member. "It’s bursting with flavor and surprisingly simple to prepare. The best olive spread I’ve ever tasted. I can’t wait to serve it to guests!"

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Ingredients

Olive Salad:

• 1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, crushed

• ½ cup drained kalamata olives, crushed

• ½ cup pepperoncini, drained

• ¼ cup roughly chopped pickled cauliflower florets

• ¼ cup marinated cocktail onions

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons drained capers

• 1 tablespoon chopped celery

• 1 tablespoon chopped carrot

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon celery seed

• ½ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup canola oil

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar

Sandwiches:

• 2 (1 pound) loaves Italian bread

• 8 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami

• 8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham

• 8 ounces sliced mortadella

• 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese

• 8 ounces sliced provolone cheese

Directions

Mix in oregano, basil, black pepper, and celery seed in a medium bowl. Stir in olive oil, canola oil, and vinegar. Combine everything and transfer to a glass jar (or another nonreactive container). Add extra oil if necessary to fully cover the ingredients.

Seal the jar or container and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, or overnight for best flavor.

To assemble the sandwiches: Slice the loaves of bread in half lengthwise, then scoop out some of the interior to create space for the filling.

Generously spread the olive salad mixture, including the oil, onto each slice of bread.

On the bottom half of each loaf, layer half of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella, and Provolone slices.

Place the top halves of the loaves back on and cut each sandwich into quarters.

Serve right away or wrap the sandwich tightly and chill for a few hours. This allows the flavors to meld and the olive salad to soak into the bread.

Nutritional Information (per serving)