Italian Muffuletta Sandwich

ByAnna + Liz Published Updated
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The 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.

thick sandwich filled with deli meats, cheeses, chopped olives , roasted peppers, and arugula.

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! 😉

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.

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 make their olive salad homemade, but I prefer to go the easy way, finding a container of already-chopped olives, like a jar of olive tapenade. You can easily find it at your local supermarket.
  • In addition to that, I added some fire-roasted red peppers along with the peppery flavor of the arugula to complement the rich cured meats in the sandwich. It’s so YUMMY!

Ingredients for Italian Muffuletta Sandwich:

For our Italian Muffuletta Sandwich recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • 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

How to make a 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 all this deliciousness.

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, I 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. 

Recipe Tips…

  • With a few easy steps, everyone can make this sandwich in minutes.
  • Plus, the sandwich is cut into wedges, creating 4 to 6 individual sandwiches.
  • 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. 
  • Keep in mind, you can also use a simple mixture of olives for this sandwich.  You can buy a variety of olives at an olive bar from your local grocery store and chop them yourself!
  • If you prefer a Recipe for Homemade Olive Salad? See our “Notes” in our recipe card below! We included the recipe for you.


FAQ’s

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 half and serving. 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.

An open Italian Muffuletta Sandwich filled with layers of cured meats, cheeses, roasted red peppers and arugula leaves.

A Hearty Sandwich

Italian muffuletta sandwich bursts with so much flavor, it is SO good, it disappears the minute it’s 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 everyone to enjoy. 

Best of all, it took less than 15 minutes to put it all together and serve. It’s a definite crowd-pleaser and a great sandwich to serve all year long, and ideal for game nights!

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

ENJOY!!

More Tasty Sandwiches!

thick sandwich filled with deli meats, cheeses, chopped olives , roasted peppers, and arugula.

Italian Muffuletta Sandwich

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

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!

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. First, 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. 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 the remaining olive tapenade on top of the cheese, add more pieces of red peppers, and top with fresh arugula.
  4. Finally, 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

Did you make this recipe?

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© 2 sisters recipes
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Sandwiches

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If you make our Italian Muffuletta Sandwich, let us know and leave a comment with a star rating!  We’d love to hear from you. 

Sharing your insights and experiences helps everyone who reads them, and helps us too!  Snap a photo and share it on social media, be sure to tag us @2sistersrecipes or hashtag #2sistersrecipes.   Olive Salad Recipe adapted from People Mag, Oct. 2016

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!  

Happy & Healthy! 🙂

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 nonna’s of my Italian friends while growing up in New York City. I’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.

    Reply

    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!

      Reply

  3. 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. 🙂

    Reply

  4. 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 🙂

    Reply