This Sandwich Recipe is Game-Day Ready

The muffuletta is a New Orleans food favorite but you can eat mini muffuletta sandwiches at home. The recipe is game-day ready!

Mini Muffuletta with a Toothpick on White Plate — Image: ©2foodtrippers

Most New Orleans dishes, like gumbo, jambalaya and etoufée, require you to slave over the stove and in the kitchen for hours. All that work is rewarding but it’s not the only way to enjoy flavors of the Crescent City. An easier option is to make mini muffuletta sandwiches – all you need is a focaccia loaf, simple-to-make olive salad, sliced cheese and deli meat.

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What Is a Muffuletta?

Close Up of Mini Muffulettas with Toothpicks — Mini muffulettas are ideal to serve at Mardi Gras parties and other celebrations. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Along with the po boy, the muffuletta is one of NOLA’s famous sandwiches on the run. The muffuletta, an Italian stack of meats and cheeses, has been around for over a century and represents everything great about the city’s diversity. The fact is, while we associate many French, Spanish, Creole and Acadian flavors with New Orleans, Sicilian immigrants have had a large hand in the formation of the city’s food culture.

Likely named after its mitten-like bread, the muffuletta’s roots lie firmly in the Italian shops that surrounded the city’s French Market back in the day. Central Grocery on Decatur street, just a few steps away from the Shambles of the once thriving, now touristic, market, sells a classic version of the sandwich. The shop creates its muffulettas on large round seeded rolls and fills them with Italian meat, cheese and, most important, olive salad. Once filled, the round rolls are quartered and sold in hefty individual portions.

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Muffuletta at Central Grocery in New Orleans — Eating a muffuletta at Central Grocery in New Orleans is a must. The French Quarter deli is credited with introducing the sandwich more than a century ago. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

The key to the greatness of this New Orleans sandwich is its olive salad. Most Italian-American sandwiches, like heroes, hoagies and grinders, use oil and vinegar to dress stacked meats, cheeses and vegetables. In the muffuletta, olive salad performs double duty by providing a vegetal bite while, at the same time, dressing and seasoning the sandwich. This difference in construction is what makes the muffuletta special.

While Central Grocery’s muffuletta is good, there are other New Orleans muffulettas worth trying. A few blocks away, at the bar Napoleon House, muffulettas are served warm with melted cheese. Nearby in the Warehouse Disctict, Chef Donald Link’s Cochon Butcher fills its muffulettas with charcuterie made by in-house butchers plus the obligatory provolone and olive salad.

Muffuletta at Napoleon House in New Orleans — The Central Market muffuletta isn’t the only New Orleans muffuletta worth eating. Napoleon House makes its mufflattas with melted cheese while Cochon Butcher serves an artisan version made with freshly meat cured in house. | Images: ©2foodtrippers

Ok, you probably don’t live in New Orleans and neither do we. And, like us, you probably don’t have access to round Italian muffuletta bread. But there’s no rule that says muffuletta sandwiches have to be round and that you can’t use another bread. Since the square-shaped focaccia we buy is as good, if not better, than some of the round Italian bread sold in NOLA, it hit us – we could should attempt to recreate the sandwich’s basic framework at home.

We formulated a logical plan that fit our lifestyle. First, we created a large muffuletta with focaccia and filled it with all the necessary ingredients. We then sliced it into individual, party-sized servings. Success! Our mini muffuletta sandwiches channeled New Orleans in every tasty bite.

Ingredients

This mini muffuletta recipe is broken into two steps – creating the olive salad and building the sandwich. These are the necessary ingredients for both steps.

Olive Salad Ingredients

Olive Salad Mis en Place — You need the following ingredients to make this muffuletta: olive salad: pitted green olives, jardiniere, capers, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, roasted red pepper, dried oregano, fresh Italian parsley, black pepper and salt. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Making olive salad is easy to do if you buy jars of pitted green olives and jardiniere. Here’s everything you need:

Pitted Green Olives – You can use high quality olives but grocery store jarred olives work just fine in this recipe. Plus, as a bonus, pitted olives also stay round after they’re cut which adds to the sandwich’s appearance.
Jardiniere – Most jarred jardiniere consists of a blend of pickled cucumber slices, cauliflower and carrots. This ingredient adds a dimension of color and texture to homemade olive salad.
Capers – Capers add a pure briny, vegetal flavor to the salad.
Red Wine Vinegar – While olives and jardiniere provide plenty of acidity, red wine vinegar adds a touch of sweetness.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – We use good quality extra virgin olive oil in this recipe and recommend that you do the same.
Roasted Red Pepper – Roasted red pepper adds luxurious texture, color and sweetness to the salad.
Oregano – Dried
Italian Parsley – Fresh
Black Pepper – To Taste
Salt – Optional – It’s important to taste the salad before adding salt as it may be salty enough without added salt.

Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.

Sandwich Ingredients

Mini Muffuletta Mis en Place — You need the following ingredients to build a muffuletta sandwich: focaccia, cheese, Italian cold cuts, olive salad and olive oil (not pictured). | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Once you make the olive salad, it’s time to build the sandwich. Here’s everything you need:

Bread – Unless you have the time and motivation to bake your bread, buying a seeded focaccia is the most convenient way to go here. We purchase an 8″x 8″ square focaccia from a local artisan bakery. We then evenly drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top of the focaccia, sprinkle the top of the bread with sesame seeds and bake the focaccia in the oven for two to three minutes at 400°c / 215°f to allow the seeds to stick.
Cheese – We use four slices each of Swiss cheese and mild provolone cheese. You may be thinking that Swiss cheese is not Italian cheese. While that is true, this is an Italian-American recipe. We like to think that a New Orleans sandwich maker really liked Swiss cheese and included it in his sandwich. Besides, Switzerland is just over the Italian border.
Italian Cold Cuts – We use a layer each of salami, mortadella and either coppa or capicola.
Homemade Olive Salad – We already made the olive salad and now it’s time to use it.
Olive Oil – A drizzle of good olive oil makes most things taste better and this sandwich is no exception.

Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.

How To Make Mini Muffuletta Sandwiches

Mini Muffulettas with Toothpicks — Making mini muffuletta sandwiches is the next best thing to eating a muffuletta sandwich in New Orleans. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Making a muffuletta is about the easiest, most fun thing you can do in your kitchen.

Inspired by the Napoleon House’s muffuletta, we place the cheese slices on the very top layer of the sandwich and melt the cheese over the other ingredients in an oven on high heat. But, if you prefer, you can layer the cheese between some of the meat layers (similar to Central Grocery) and serve the sandwich cold. Either way, it’s important to use a long sharp bread knife when you slice the sandwich. You also need some toothpicks. We use plain wooden toothpicks but you can use decorative toothpicks if that’s your preference.

If you choose to melt the cheese, pre-heat your oven to 260°c / 500°f or as high as your oven will go.

Meanwhile, evenly split the entire focaccia with a long bread knife. Once it’s split, drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the bottom layer.

Open faced Focaccia on a Wooden Board — Split Focaccia Loaf | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Use a spoon to top the meat layers with a thick layer of olive salad.

Laying Down Olive Salad Layer in a Muffuletta — Olive Salad Layer | Images: ©2foodtrippers

Stack the cheese over the olive salad layer. Start with a layer of Swiss cheese and then top that layer with a layer of provolone.

Swiss Cheese Layer in a Muffuletta Sandwich — Cheese Layers | Images: ©2foodtrippers

Place the stacked bottom layer of the sandwich in the pre-heated oven and remove once the cheese is just melted – approximately two to three minutes.

Placing a Muffuletta in the Oven — The bottom half of the muffuletta, with the meat, olive salad and cheese, goes into a hot oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Move the sandwich to a cutting board and place the other focaccia half on top. Carefully slice the entire sandwich into 16 portions by making 3 slices across each side.

Muffuletta Sliced in 16 Segments — It’s almost party time once you slice the muffuletta sandwich into 16 individual segments. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Place a single toothpick into each segment. Move the segments to a serving plate using a long spatula.

Mini Muffuletta - Square Segment — A mini muffuletta sandwiche channels Mardi Gras regardless of the location and time of year. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Serve the mini muffulettas to your guests and go make yourself a sazerac, hurricane, vieux carré or a brandy crusta. It’s now time time to laissez les bon temps rouler!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a muffuletta?

A muffuletta is a stacked Italian style deli sandwich with assorted deli meats and cheeses plus olive salad.

Where was the muffuletta invented?

The muffuletta was invented in New Orleans.

What are the ingredients in a muffuletta?

Bread (either focaccia or a special round muffuletta roll), Salami, Mortadella, Coppa or Capicola, Provolone Cheese, Swiss Cheese, Homemade Olive Salad and Olive Oil,

Is a muffuletta served hot or cold?

You can serve the sandwich cold or you can melt the cheese and serve it warm.

Mini Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe

Mini muffuletta sandwiches are great to serve at Mardi Gras parties and other celebrations. They’re also great to eat when you’re craving a taste of New Orleans at home.

Course: Main Course, Sandwiches

Cuisine: American, Italian, New Orleans

Servings: 16

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time20 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Calories: 225kcal

Author: Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Sandwich

1 pound focaccia – 8×8″ square or 9×9″ round (topped with sesame seeds)
1 1/2 cups homemade olive salad (see below)
2 1/2 ounces salami (thinly sliced)
3 1/2 ounces mortadella (thinly sliced)
3 ounces coppa or capicola (thinly sliced)
3 ounces mild provolone cheese (4 slices)
2 1/2 ounces Swiss cheese (4 slices)
1 drizzle olive oil (extra virgin)

Olive Salad

1 1/2 cups green olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)
1/2 cup jardiniere (coarsely chopped)
1/4 cup roasted red pepper (jullienned)
1 tablespoon capers (salted or packed in brine, washed and chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian parsley (fresh)
1 teaspoon oregano (dry)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

Making the Olive Salad

Pour the red wine vinegar into a medium mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while using a whisk to create an emulsion.
Add the chopped olives, chopped jardiniere, chopped capers, julienned roasted red pepper, oregano and black pepper. Mix until well incorporated. Add salt only if necessary.

Building the Muffuletta Sandwich

Preheat your oven to 500°f / 250°c.
Split the focaccia into top and bottom slices using a long bread knife.
Add the cold cuts in layers. First add the salami, next the mortadella and finally the coppa/capicola.
Add the olive salad in a thick even layer.
Add the cheese in two layers – first the Swiss and then the provolone.
Place the bottom half of the sandwich on a sheet pan. Bake it in your pre-heated oven until the cheese just melts – approximately two minutes.
Move the heated muffuletta bottom to a cutting board and place the top half of the sandwich over the bottom. Slice the muffuletta into 16 individual segments by slicing three rows on each side. Place a toothpick in each mini muffuletta.
Uea long spatula to move the mini muffulettas to a large serving plate. Serve and get the party started.

You can buy or bake a focaccia loaf depending on your motivation and availability. The focaccia can be either round or square.
After you build the muffuletta, skip the oven step if you don’t want to melt the cheese.
Be judicious about adding salt to the sandwich since olives and capers are naturally salty.