Recipes Ingredients Meat & Poultry Pork Recipes Muffuletta 4.3 (30) 1 Review This New Orleans-style layered sandwich will feed—and delight—a group. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 8, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 0 mins Total Time: 12 hrs 25 mins Servings: 8 Martha's take on the muffuletta sandwich contains a satisfying blend of thinly sliced meats and cheeses, peppery arugula, and tangy peppadews, all tied together with a homemade olive salad. The ingredients are layered in a crusty, hollowed-out boule, then wrapped tightly, weighted down, and refrigerated overnight to allow the flavors to meld. The finished pressed sandwich is a thing of beauty: a substantial stack of colorful components compressed and cut into easy-to-eat wedges. A muffuletta is the perfect sandwich to bring to a picnic or potluck, or to prepare ahead of guests coming to town. Our recipe serves six to eight people (depending on how large the wedges are cut) and can be stored for up to two days, though we doubt it'll stick around that long. 17 Mardi Gras Recipes to Help You Celebrate Fat Tuesday Grant Webster Origin of the Muffuletta Sandwich The muffuletta sandwich is said to have originated in New Orleans in the early 20th century when Salvatore Lupo, owner of the famed shop, Central Grocery, noticed fellow Sicilian immigrants buying round loaves of bread, plus meats, cheeses, and olive salad to build their own sandwiches. To create a workaround, he layered the same ingredients onto a round, spongy loaf of bread known as "muffuletto" and one of New Orleans' most famous bites was born. Today, you can find it throughout the city—including at Central Grocery—cut into wedges and served either hot or cold. Key Ingredients for Muffuletta The bread: It's hard to locate a proper muffuletta loaf outside of New Orleans, but Martha has found that a round, crusty boule makes a good substitute. You'll slice it in half horizontally, then scoop out the center to make room for the other ingredients. (Save the insides for breadcrumbs, toss with oil and toast for croutons, or feed them to the birds.) The meats: For this recipe, Martha prefers a combination of mortadella, coppa, soppressata, and finocchiona salami for a mix of savory and spicy options. That being said, no two recipes for muffuletta are exactly the same, so have some fun selecting the meats of your choosing, just be sure to have them thinly sliced. The cheeses: You can use a mixture of cheeses—we like creamy fontina and sharp provolone—or just stick with one type. The olive salad: One part of the muffuletta that's not up for debate? The tangy, salty olive salad. Made with a mixture of olives, herbs, oil, and vinegar, it brings a welcome brightness that cuts through the rich meats and cheeses. Note that you'll need to prepare it one day ahead of building the sandwich to give the individual ingredients a chance to meld. The finishing touches: While not necessarily traditional, we love how sweet-spicy peppadews and peppery arugula help to balance out the flavors and textures of this layered delight. Feel free to omit them, or swap in roasted red peppers for the peppadews and baby spinach for the arugula, if desired. Ingredients 1 large bread boule, halved Olive Salad 4 ounces sliced mortadella 2 ½ ounces sliced hot soppressata 2 ounces sliced finocchiona salami 2 ounces sliced coppa 4 ounces sliced provolone or fontina cheese ½ cup halved Peppadew peppers 2 cups arugula Directions Grant Webster Scoop out inside of loaf; spread olive salad over bottom: Remove insides of bread boule and reserve for another use. Spread olive salad over cut side of bottom half of bread. Grant Webster Layer ingredients, including more olive salad, over bottom: On the bottom half of the bread, layer mortadella, soppressata, salami, coppa, cheese, Peppadews, and arugula. Grant Webster Top with remaining bread half; wrap, weigh down, and chill overnight: Sandwich top half of bread over meats and cheese. Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap and weigh down with a cast-iron skillet or two large cans of tomatoes and place in the refrigerator overnight. Grant Webster If you don't have a cast-iron skillet to weigh down the sandwich overnight, place a large plate, baking sheet, or a lighter skillet on top along with two large (28-ounce) cans of tomatoes. Cut into wedges before serving: Remove sandwich from refrigerator, cut into wedges, and serve. Grant Webster Storing Leftover Muffuletta Leftover muffuletta can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to two days. Note that the bread will continue to soften from the olive mixture as it sits. What to Serve With Muffuletta This rich sandwich is substantial enough to serve on its own, but you could round out the meal with a bright green salad, a tangy balsamic potato salad, or an Italian-inspired pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Aside from salads, a handful of crispy waffle chips or golden, baked polenta fries would make a fun and delicious addition. More Stellar Sandwich Recipes to Try: Roasted Eggplant Sandwich With Soy-Lime Glaze Pressed Picnic Sandwich Croque Madame Sandwiches Barbecue Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches Quick Shrimp Po'Boys Frequently Asked Questions Can I make this recipe without the olive salad? No, we don't recommend making this recipe without the olive salad. Besides adding a tangy note, the vinegar-laced condiment soaks into the bread to lend the sandwich some welcome moisture and helps to meld the other ingredients. Can I leave out the meat to make this recipe vegetarian? No, we would not recommend simply leaving out the meat to make this recipe vegetarian. Instead, we'd recommend trying our recipe for a grilled ratatouille version, which features eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini in place of the meat. Can I use another type of bread instead of a boule? Yes, you can use another bread instead of the boule if you can't locate one. Try using ciabatta, focaccia, or a crusty Italian loaf. Rate It PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.