Italian Muffuletta Sandwich

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich is a Sicilian sandwich loaded with a mixture of Italian meats and cheeses, roasted red peppers, arugula and a juicy olive salad. It’s amazingly delicious in every bite, this sandwich makes the perfect lunch to feed a hungry family. An ideal sandwich to serve on game nights too.

What is an Italian Muffuletta Sandwich?

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich (pronounced as ‘moo-foo-Le-ta’) is a Sicilian sandwich that usually consists of a round loaf of Italian rustic bread filled with a mix of Italian meats, cheeses, fresh garlic, red peppers, and olives. 

The name originates from Sicily, which is the actual name for this particular “round loaf” of Italian bread. 

And, it is a VERY HEARTY sandwich, to say the least – best of all – it’s loaded with flavor! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Besides, this sandwich is served in most bistros in New Orleans and it is gaining popularity up and down the east coast.

A round loaf of Italian bread by 2sistersrecipes.com

How to make Muffuletta sandwich?

For our recipe, this Italian muffuletta sandwich is easily made with ONE medium-size or large “round loaf” of bread. Then it is easily filled with layers of:

1. Some roasted red peppers and olive tapenade.

2. Next, filled with layers of Italian salami, mortadella, and provolone cheese.

3. Then top with a second layer of fire-roasted peppers and chopped olives again.  

4. Finally, added some fresh arugula before I closed the sandwich to add some healthy fresh greens in there.

QUICK TIP: The thickness of this muffuletta sandwich will vary depending on how much “cold cuts” you prefer to stuff it with. 

Plus, the sandwich is cut into wedges, creating 4 to 6 individual sandwiches.

Best of all, it took less than 15 minutes to put it all together and serve.

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich by 2sistersrecipes.com

 

What makes this sandwich so flavorful?

  • The olive salad is the “key ingredient” to giving this sandwich its intense flavors and textures with every bite.  So don’t leave it out. 
  • Most bistros will make their olive salad homemade, but I prefer not to and go the easy way and found a container of already chopped olives.
  • In addition to that, I added some fire-roasted red peppers along with the peppery flavor of the arugula to compliment the rich cured meats in the sandwich. 

The olive mixture…

I found it easier to use a spread of an “already chopped” olive tapenade for my sandwich.

You can easily find a jar or container at the local supermarket. 

The olive tapenade is a mixture of chopped olives and dressed in a tangy and garlicky vinaigrette, making it an easy condiment to add to our Muffuletta sandwich!

Plus, red peppers and arugula…

Any jar of fire-roasted red peppers is great to keep in your pantry. I added a layer of them in the sandwich to give a sweet-tasting flavor, while the arugula offers a peppery crunch texture.

It’s so YUMMY!

Amazingly, all the flavors worked together perfectly!

 

 

How To Make our Italian Muffuletta Sandwich?

With a few easy steps, everyone can make this sandwich in minutes!

(*Full recipe card below)

Ingredients Needed for Italian Muffuletta Sandwich:

  • 1 round loaf Italian bread (5 or 6-inch diameter) (I used rosemary-olive oil flavor bread)

  • 1 small container (7-ounces) of mixed olive tapenade (I used Trader Joe’s)

  • 1/4 (or 1/2) pound of sliced uncured salami

  • 1/4 (or 1/2) pound of sliced mortadella

  • 1/4 (or 1/2) pound of sliced provolone cheese

  • 1/2 cup fire-roasted red peppers

  • 2 cups of loosely packed arugula

Easy Directions to make this sandwich…

1. FIRST: Use a serrated knife, slice about 2-inches from the top of the loaf, horizontally, and scoop out some of the soft bread from both halves, leaving a 1-inch thick shell. (Reserve the soft center of the loaf for another use, if desired).

2. SECOND: Spread half of the olive tapenade in the bottom half, then layer with some pieces of fire-roasted red peppers, then layer with mortadella, salami, and provolone cheese.

3. THIRD: Spread remaining olive tapenade on top of the cheese, add additional layer of red peppers and top with fresh arugula.

4. FINALLY, place the top half of the round loaf on top, and cut into 4 or 6 wedges.ย  Then serve.


If you prefer a Recipe for Homemade Olive Salad
? See our “Notes” in our recipe card below! We included the recipe for you.

 

NOTES and TIPS…

  • In case you’re interested in making your own homemade olive salad, I’ve added an additional recipe for you in our recipe card below.ย 
  • Keep in mind, you can also use a simple mixture of olives for this sandwich.  You can buy a variety at an olive bar from your local grocery store and chop them yourself!

Q & A …

1. Can we use a different kind of bread? Yes you can. You can use large Kaiser rolls and make individual sandwiches, slicing them in halves and serve. Or use a large baguette and load it up and slice it into individual sandwiches.

2. Can we fill it with other cold cuts and cheeses? Yes, if you prefer you can fill it with other Italian meats and cheeses, and create your own Muffuletta sandwich to cut and serve.

3. How to cut a “round loaf” into wedges? When you close the bread, press firmly to hold it down, and carefully slice it in half, then turn it and slice it across again, this will create 4 large wedges. However, if the bread is large enough, you can keep slicing it to make additional wedges as needed.

Italian muffuletta sandwich bursts with so much flavor, it is SO good, it disappears the minute its placed on the table.

Trust me!

It is incredibly delicious – with so many flavors bursting in our mouths, we couldn’t stop eating it!

A wonderful and very hearty sandwich for anyone to enjoy. 

It’s a definite crowd-pleaser and a great sandwich to serve all year long, especially on game-nights!

And, for another easy Italian sandwich, you might enjoy The DOM SANDWICH!

…Thanks for Pinning!

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich by 2sistersrecipes.com

MORE TASTY SANDWICHES!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich

the Muffuletta Sandwich by 2sistersrecipes.com

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich is a Sicilian sandwich made with a round loaf of Italian rustic bread filled with a mixture of olives, Italian meats, and cheeses, topped with fire-roasted red peppers and fresh arugula. A hearty sandwich everyone will go bonkers for!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 round loaf of Italian bread (5 or 6-inch diameter) (I used rosemary-olive oil flavor bread)
  • 1 small container (7 ounces) mixed olive tapenade (I used Trader Joe's)
  • 1/4 (or 1/2) pound of sliced salami
  • 1/4 (or 1/2) pound sliced mortadella
  • 1/4 (or 1/2) pound of sliced provolone cheese
  • 1/2 cup fire-roasted red peppers
  • 2 cups of loosely packed arugula

Instructions

  1. Using a serrated knife, slice about 2-inches from the top of the loaf. Split the loaf horizontally, and scoop out some of the soft bread from both halves, leaving a 1-inch thick shell. (Reserve the soft center of the loaf for another use, if desired).
  2. Spread half of the olive tapenade in the bottom half, then layer with some pieces of fire-roasted red peppers, then layer with mortadella, salami, and provolone cheese.
  3. Spread the remaining olive tapenade on top of the cheese, add more pieces of red peppers, and top with fresh arugula.
  4. Place the top half of the loaf on top, and cut into 4 or 6 wedges. Serve.
  5. Serves 4 to 6

Notes

If you prefer, here is a Recipe for the Homemade Olive Salad:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 garlic cloves- finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
10 large pitted green olives - chopped
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives - chopped
1/4 cup chopped roasted bell peppers (about 2)
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Quick Directions to make Olive Salad:

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients. Stir in green olives, Kalamata olives, roasted peppers, and black pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6 servings

Serving Size:

1 wedge

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 14.3gCarbohydrates: 7.5gFiber: .6gSugar: 1.9gProtein: 11.6g

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Olive Salad Recipe adapted from People Mag, Oct. 2016

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!  

Happy & Healthy! ๐Ÿ™‚

xo Anna and Liz

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8 Comments

  1. I love a good muffuletta. I had my first one in 1975 at the Central Grocery. Your recipe is very close to what I had in New Orleans. The only thing I do differently is that I add soppressata and capicola, probably due to the influence of the mothers and nonnaโ€™s of my Italian friends while growing up in New York City. Iโ€™m a retired head chef from NYC now living in SC. Finding ingredients, especially bread, is a real challenge here. I made this a few times for the church. What I used for bread was a modified version of my rosemary focaccia bread. The loaves are easy to make and it worked out really well. It really works well for a crowd. Thanks for a great recipe. God bless.

    1. Thank you for your kind words, Chris and welcome to our blog. I bet the rosemary focaccia bread was a great choice and probably made the sandwich taste even better! Thanks so much. Merry Christmas!

  2. I'm so glad to hear that Tricia! We love it so much, my husband asks me to make it for him every week. Your veggie version sounds interesting also- I will have to put that on my list of things to do!
    Thanks again. ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. I don't mind telling you that THIS is one of my favorite sandwiches ever. There used to be a restaurant in Chattanooga, TN that made the best muffuletta sandwich I've ever had. You could buy it in whole or half. I always wanted a whole sandwich so I could save half for later. I tried to create a veggie-only version and while it was good, it just can't replace all that delicious deli meat. This is a beautiful sandwich, gorgeous photos and now a craving that will be with me until I get another bite one day. The olive tapenade sends me over the moon! Thanks so much ๐Ÿ™‚