Description
So if you’ve never been to New Orleans (and honestly, what are you waiting for?), you might not know about this absolute BEAST of a sandwich. The muffuletta was invented by Sicilian immigrants at Central Grocery back in 1906, and it’s basically the king of all sandwiches. Picture this: a massive round loaf of bread stuffed with layers of Italian cold cuts, cheese, and the most amazing olive salad you’ve ever tasted. It’s salty, tangy, meaty, and completely over-the-top in the best possible way. One sandwich feeds like 4 people, which is perfect because you’re definitely gonna want to share this experience.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Olive Salad (The Star of the Show):
- 1 cup green olives with pimientos, chopped (the good stuff, not the mushy canned ones)
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini, chopped (drain them first, but save some juice)
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (optional but SO good)
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or more because garlic is life)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1/3 cup good olive oil (don’t cheap out here)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini juice (secret ingredient right here!)
- Black pepper to taste (hold off on salt – the olives are plenty salty)
For the Sandwich:
- 1 large round Italian bread loaf (about 10 inches – muffuletta bread if you can find it, otherwise a good crusty round loaf)
- 1/4 lb mortadella, sliced thin
- 1/4 lb salami, sliced thin (Genoa or hard salami work great)
- 1/4 lb ham, sliced thin (capicola if you want to get fancy)
- 1/4 lb provolone cheese, sliced
- 1/4 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced