There are sandwiches, and then there are sandwiches. You know the kind I mean. The kind you don’t just eat—you wrestle with. The kind that leaves a trail of olive juice and sesame seeds across your shirt and you honestly don’t even care.

I had one of those weeks. You know the ones. Everything felt a little heavy and I just wanted something that required both hands and zero apologies. That’s when I start thinking about New Orleans. And when I think about New Orleans food, my brain goes straight to the muffaletta.

First time I had one I was maybe twenty-two. Standing at some counter in the French Quarter, no seat, just a paper plate and this absolute tower of bread and meat and this weird, glorious olive salad I’d never seen before. I didn’t know what to do with it. I think I tried cutting it with a fork at first. Embarrassing. You don’t eat a muffaletta with a fork. You commit.

So here’s my version. It’s not fussy. It’s not minimalist. It’s a monster and I mean that as a compliment.

My Take On Muffuletta (AKA Muffaletta)

I know some folks make the olive salad into this smooth tapenade situation. And look, no disrespect to those recipes. But I think they’re missing the whole point.

The muffaletta isn’t supposed to be tidy. It’s not supposed to be polite.

This sandwich was born because Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans needed lunch they could eat fast, with their hands, standing up. Salvatore Lupo—that’s the guy who invented it, back at Central Grocery—he saw his customers struggling to eat bread, meat, cheese, and olives separately. So he put them all together. That’s the origin story. It wasn’t about refinement. It was about function.

So when I make mine, I keep the olive salad chunky. I want whole olives, pieces of giardiniera that actually have some bite. I want juice dripping down the sides. I want you to have to catch the runaway caper on your finger and eat it like a little victory.

My husband thinks I’m dramatic about this sandwich. He might be right. But he also eats it without complaint, so.

Ingredients I Used for the Recipe

Here’s what I grab when I’m making this. I don’t stress about exact brands. I just go with what looks good.

• Small green olives – The backbone of the olive salad. I leave some whole, chop some. Texture is the point.
• Giardiniera mix – I look for one heavy on red peppers and cauliflower. Chop it rough.
• Cocktail onions – Sweet little pops. Definitely chop these, they’re strong whole.
• Capers – If you hate capers, leave them out. I love the little salty bursts.
• Banana peppers or pepperoncinis – For brightness. For tang. Don’t skip.
• Diced carrots – Adds crunch and color.
• Diced celery – More crunch. We’re building layers here.
• Garlic – Fresh minced. Not the jarred stuff this time.
• Extra virgin olive oil – Good quality. You’ll taste it.
• Red wine vinegar – Just enough to wake everything up.
• Dried Italian seasoning – Easy shortcut. Works every time.
• Black pepper – Fresh cracked if you have it.
• Italian bread, round – Sesame seeds on top are traditional but not mandatory. What matters is density. Soft French bread will collapse under the weight of this sandwich. You need a loaf that can hold its ground.
• Deli sliced ham – Half pound. Nothing fancy.
• Deli sliced salami – Half pound. Regular hard salami is fine.
• Sliced provolone cheese – Half pound. The mild kind.
• Sliced swiss cheese – Half pound. I know provolone and swiss together sounds random but it works. Trust it.

I used to think I needed to hunt down specific Italian imports for this. Then one Tuesday I made it with grocery store everything and realized—it’s still incredible. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And the parts are just cold cuts and pickles. No shame in that.

How to Make a New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich

Step 1 – Make the Olive Salad

Drain your brined ingredients. You don’t want everything swimming, but don’t pat them dry either. A little moisture is good.

Roughly chop the cocktail onions, giardiniera, and banana peppers. I say roughly on purpose. If everything is the same tiny size, the salad gets monotonous. Leave some olives whole. Leave some vegetables in recognizable chunks.

Dice the carrots and celery. Mince the garlic. Throw it all in a bowl with the capers. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Stir it up.

Here’s what I learned the hard way: don’t serve this immediately. It needs time. The flavors have to get to know each other. An hour at room temperature is good. Overnight in the fridge is better. I try to make the olive salad the day before. It’s not mandatory, but if you taste it fresh and then taste it the next day, you’ll never skip the wait again.

Step 2 – Prep the Bread

Slice your round loaf horizontally. Top half, bottom half.

Now take the top half and hollow it out a little. Just pull out some of the soft interior. You don’t need a cavern, just enough room so the sandwich isn’t seven inches tall. I forgot to do this once and basically dislocated my jaw trying to take a bite. Learn from me.

You can save the pulled-out bread for breadcrumbs or just snack on it while you assemble. No judgment.

Step 3 – Layer the Sandwich

Drizzle some of the liquid from your olive salad onto the bottom half of the bread. Not a ton—just enough to soak in and flavor the base.

Start layering. I do ham first. Then provolone. Then salami. Then swiss. That’s my order and I’m sticking to it. You could switch it up. I won’t tell.

Don’t be shy with the meat and cheese. This is not a dainty sandwich. We’re talking half pound each. Pile it on.

Now. The olive salad. This is where you have a choice.

Option one: spoon a generous amount right on top of the cheese. Put the bread top on. Done.

Option two: fill that hollowed-out top half with olive salad, place the bottom half over it, and flip the whole thing. This is the method I prefer. It distributes the salad more evenly and keeps some of the juice from immediately soaking the bottom bread into mush. Plus it feels fun. Like a party trick.

I’ve done both. I have no strong allegiance. But option two makes me feel like I know what I’m doing.

Step 4 – Press and Rest

Wrap the whole sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Then find something heavy to put on top. A cast iron skillet. A cutting board with some cans. Whatever you’ve got.

Let it sit like that for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

I know you want to cut into it immediately. I know. But this step matters. The weight presses everything together. The bread absorbs the juices. The flavors marry. It goes from a pile of ingredients to an actual sandwich.

Step 5 – Slice and Serve

Unwrap. Use a serrated knife and saw gently. You’ll get some spillage. That’s the goal.

Serve with extra napkins. Actually, serve with a whole roll of paper towels. Your future self will thank you.

Tips

Make extra olive salad. The recipe makes about twice what you need for one big sandwich and that’s intentional. You can make two sandwiches back to back. Or you can keep the extra in the fridge and put it on everything. I’ve tossed it with arugula for a side salad. I’ve spooned it over grilled chicken. I’ve eaten it straight from the container at 11 p.m. standing in front of the open refrigerator. No regrets.

Bread matters more than you think. I learned this the hard way when I grabbed a ciabatta loaf that looked promising and immediately collapsed under the weight of the fillings. You want something with structure. A soft Italian loaf with a decent crust. If it has sesame seeds, great. If not, fine. Just don’t use a baguette—wrong shape, wrong texture, wrong everything.

Letting the sandwich rest isn’t optional. I know I already said this but I’m saying it again because I’ve skipped it before and been disappointed every single time. The muffaletta is one of those rare sandwiches that genuinely improves with time. You’re not losing freshness. You’re gaining cohesion.

Leftovers keep surprisingly well. Wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and they’ll hold in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The bread softens, sure, but it’s still delicious. I’ve eaten cold muffaletta at my desk and felt like the luckiest person in the building.

If you can’t find the exact giardiniera mix, improvise. More olives. Extra peppers. Add some chopped artichoke hearts if that’s what you’ve got. This is not a recipe that punishes substitution. It rewards resourcefulness.

Also, and I say this with genuine affection—don’t overthink the pronunciation. Some people say muff-uh-LET-uh. Some say moof-oo-LET-uh. I say muff-all-ETT-uh. The guy at Central Grocery probably doesn’t care and neither should you. Just order it or make it and eat it.

The first time I served this to friends, I apologized in advance for the mess. I said something like, sorry, it’s a little sloppy. And my friend looked at me and said, why are you apologizing for good food.

She was right. I stopped apologizing after that.

So don’t apologize for this sandwich. Don’t make it neat. Don’t skip the parts that feel excessive. The muffaletta isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is—a big, messy, completely unapologetic pile of delicious things between two rounds of bread.

That’s the whole point. That was always the whole point.

Print Recipe

New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich Recipe

Author: katie Smith Cooking Method: No Cook Cuisine: American, Italian Courses: Main Course Recipe Keys: G game day food M Mardi Gras N New Orleans P picnic food

Difficulty: easy Prep Time 15 mins Total Time 15 mins

Servings: 6 Estimated Cost: $ moderate Calories: 1436

Best Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Description

Our New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich is a monster of a sandwich piled high with multiple types of meat and cheese, and iconic perky olive salad! This enormous sandwich is messy, hearty, and perfect for sharing—or not!

ingredients

Servings

For the Olive Salad

• 7 ounces small green olives ((1 jar))
• 16 ounces giardiniera mix (roughly chopped (1 jar))
• 3 ounces cocktail onions (roughly chopped (1 jar))
• 2 ounces capers
• 0.25 cup chopped banana peppers (or pepperoncinis)
• 0.5 cup diced carrots
• 0.5 cup diced celery
• 1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 0.33 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper

For the Sandwich

• 1 loaf Italian bread (round, preferably sesame-topped)
• 0.5 pound deli sliced ham
• 0.5 pound deli sliced salami
• 0.5 pound sliced provolone cheese
• 0.5 pound sliced Swiss cheese

Instructions

For the Olive Salad

1. Drain the brined ingredients. Roughly chop the cocktail onions, giardiniera mix, and banana peppers.
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2. Add all olive salad ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside while preparing the rest of the sandwich. The longer it sits, the better!
   Mark as complete

For the New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich

1. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally to make a top and bottom. Hollow out some of the bread from the top half so the sandwich isn’t too tall.
   Mark as complete
2. Drizzle some of the olive salad juice onto the bottom half of the loaf.
   Mark as complete
3. Layer the ham, provolone, salami, and Swiss cheese on the bottom half.
   Mark as complete
4. Top the meats and cheeses with a generous portion of olive salad. Add the bread top, or for extra flair: fill the hollowed-out top with more salad, place the bottom over it, and flip! Cut into wedges and serve.
   Mark as complete

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6

Serving Size 1 slice

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Amount Per Serving

Calories 1436kcal

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 110g170%

Saturated Fat 40g200%

Cholesterol 114mg38%

Sodium 4651mg194%

Potassium 651mg19%

Total Carbohydrate 110g37%

Dietary Fiber 5g20%

Sugars 31g

Protein 51g102%

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Calcium 637 mg

Iron 3.8 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

• Select a giardiniera mix that is prominently red peppers and cauliflower.
• Use a round Italian loaf with a dense texture—soft French loaves won’t hold up to the filling.
• The olive salad makes about twice as much as needed for one sandwich. Store extras in an airtight container for up to 5–7 days—it’s great on salads or antipasto platters!

Keywords: muffaletta, New Orleans sandwich, olive salad sandwich, Italian deli sandwich, salami ham provolone swiss sandwich