New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Aug 27, 2025 
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!
My Take On Muffuletta (AKA Muffaletta)
There are times in life when one craves a sandwich.
Sometimes it’s more than just a craving or even a hankering… It’s a deeply-rooted guttural urge for a sloppy, meaty, two-handed, got-to-SQUEEZE-to-fit-in-your-mouth kind of sandwich. A man’s sandwich. The likes of which we girls shy away from in fear of judging eyes. I had that kind of hunger this week. I say that without any shame.
Luckily, I have the cure for such a ravenous appetite. It’s called a New Orleans Muffuletta.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
I have seen New Orleans Muffaletta recipes with a tidy olive tapenade, minced until almost obliterated, as to spread it across the bread. I have no intention of offending these sandwich makers, but I think they are missing the point.
This sandwich is meant to be a BIG sandwich, and big sandwiches are meant to be messy.
In fact, part of the fun of eating a Muffaletta Sandwich is using your fingers to eat all the runaways that fall onto your plate! Our Muffaletta is piled high with double meat, double cheese, and chunky olive salad on thick, fluffy bread.
This kind of muffuletta makes you throw caution to the wind, and open wide for an enormous bite!
Muffaletta Sandwich Ingredients
For the Muffaletta Olive Salad –
- Small green olives
- Giardiniera mix
- Cocktail onions
- Capers
- Banana peppers or pepperoncinis
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Dried Italian seasoning
- Black pepper
For the Sandwiches –
- Italian bread, round (with or without sesame seeds on top)
- Deli sliced ham
- Deli sliced salami
- Sliced provolone cheese
- Sliced swiss cheese
How to Make A Muffuletta Sandwich
Find the full Muffaletta recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Muffalettas (also Muffuletta) are a true New Orleans sandwich creation. It’s a large double meat, double cheese sandwich with the mother of all sauces on top. Actually, it’s not a sauce at all. The topping is an olive salad that is generously piled over deli favorites, then covered with bread in hopes it will stay on.
The name “muffuletta” comes from the style of Italian bread loaf used, and there is quite a discrepancy in how it is pronounced. Some say Moo-full-otta or Moof-oo-letta… I say Muff-all-etta… You be the judge.
You can store the extra olive salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days. If you have leftover sandwiches, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Absolutely! You can omit the capers, or swap them for extra olives, whichever you prefer.
Traditional Muffaletta bread is an Italian loaf covered with sesame seeds. If you can’t find this, look for an Italian bread, a common loaf you would find in a central grocery in Italy. Other types of bread that you can use are ciabatta or even focaccia for some added flavor.
This sandwich originated by the Sicilian immigrants by Salvatore Lupo, who noticed that most of his customers came into his store for a quick lunch and struggled with eating the meat, bread, and olives separately. He decided to put them all together into this sandwich to make it easier for the farmers and workers who showed up.
You can add or substitute mortadella bologna, genoa salami, pepperoni, or prosciutto.
Muffaletta Sandwich Recipe
Video
Ingredients
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
- 1/4 cup chopped banana peppers, or pepperoncinis
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich:
- 1 loaf Italian bread, round
- 1/2 pound deli sliced ham
- 1/2 pound deli sliced salami
- 1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese
- 1/2 pound sliced swiss cheese
Instructions
For the Olive Salad:
- Drain the brined ingredients. Roughly chop the cocktail onions, giardiniera mix, and banana peppers. Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside while preparing the rest of the sandwich. The longer it sits, the better!
For the New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich:
- Slice the loaf of bread in half to make a top and bottom for the sandwich. Hollow out some of the bread on the top half, so it won’t be too tall to fit in your mouth.
- Drizzle some of the olive salad juice on the bottom half of the loaf. Layer the ham, provolone, salami, and swiss cheese on the sandwich.
- Top the meats and cheeses with a generous portion of olive salad and add the bread top. Or live adventurously… Fill the hollowed-out bread top with salad, place the bottom half over it, and FLIP! Cut into pieces and serve.
It was really delicious! My kids can’t wait for me to make it again!
Question…not really fond of capers. Can they be omitted, or can you suggest a substitute?
Thanks!
Hi Gina,
Absolutely! You can omit the capers, or swap them for extra olives. Whichever you prefer. :)
Love this unique sandwich!
Made this for Fat Tuesday and loved it!
Just like I remember eating in New Orleans! Delicious!
These are one of our very favorite sandwiches. I think we have made them three times in the last month!
No, I did not make it yet, but it looks great, and will…
If I hadn’t just devoured a bowl of gumbo for lunch, I would be making this right now! Definitely going to be making this!