Muffaletta Salad
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Muffaletta is the signature sandwich of New Orleans, Louisiana. More specifically it was created at Central Grocery on Decatur Street in the French quarter. The Sicilian-American sandwich is similar to an Italian sub served on Sicilian sesame bread and filled with layers of ham, salami, provolone and a marinated olive salad. For this recipe I created a simplified and deconstructed version served as a salad.
This salad is delicious on its own for a delicious lunch or served alongside your favorite pizza or roast chicken for dinner. If prepping the salad ahead of time, keep all elements separate until ready to serve so the croutons don’t get soggy.
Muffaletta Salad
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Bread – Making croutons is a great way to give a second life to stale hearty bread – in this recipe I use day-old Italian bread tossed with sesame seeds to mimic the signature muffaletta bread that can be difficult to find outside of New Orleans.
- Iceberg lettuce – Iceberg lettuce also called crisphead lettuce looks similar to cabbage though the leaves are much more tender and watery.
- Sopressata – This type of salami (like the Italian version of Saucisson sec) is a coarsely ground, fatty, dry-cured pork saladmi made with black pepper and garlic. It’s similar to Genoa salami.
- Mortadella – While many other sausages have a coarse grind of meat, Mortadella is cooked, cured pork emulsified into a purée combined with cubes of fat, peppercorns, pistachios and other spices.
- Capicola – Capicola or coppa is made from dry-cured pork neck, specifically the muscle running from the neck to the rib of the pig, spiced with cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s deep red and marbled with white fat in the muscle fibers.
- Provolone – Provolone is a semi-soft Italian cheese with a mild flavor and smooth, creamy texture similar to low-moisture mozzarella. I cube the cheese though if you can only find deli slices you can chop it.
- Olives – While muffaletta contains a chopped mixed olive and giardiniera salad topping I simply half some pitted green castelvetrano olives to garnish the salad.
- Giardiniera – There are two styles of Giardiniera – Italian (which I use) made with pickled mixed vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, celery, peppers in a vinegary brine while in Chicago-style the pickled vegetable mix is then marinated in olive oil after it’s pickled.
- Pepperoncini – This Italian hot chili pepper is a light yellowish green color with a mild heat.
How to Make Muffaletta Salad
Step 1: Make the dressing.
Add the olive oil, vinegar and garlic to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
Step 2: Toss the croutons.
Heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Toss the cubed bread with the oil and sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Make the sesame croutons.
Spread in an even single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the croutons are crispy and golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Keep the croutons stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Step 4: Combine the salad ingredients.
Add the lettuce and radicchio to a salad bowl or large mixing bowl. Top with the sopressata, mortadella, capicola, provolone, giardiniera, olives and pepperoncini. Add half the croutons and drizzle salad dressing over top.
Step 5: Toss and serve.
Use tongs to toss to combine. Top with the remaining croutons and serve.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
Swaps and substitutions
- The iceberg lettuce can be swapped for a less watery lettuce like green leaf lettuce or a mesclun salad mix.
- While I use castelvetrano olives, you can use another type of pitted black or green olive.
How to prep this salad in advance
- Keep the croutons stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- The dressing can be made up to a week ahead of time and stored refrigerated in an airtight container. Shake once more to combine just before drizzling over the salad.
- The meats and cheeses can be chopped up to a day in advance and stored in a resealable airtight container until ready to combine the salad.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this muffaletta salad, give these recipes a try and follow me on Instagram for more updates:
Muffaletta Salad
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
For the sesame croutons:
- 4 cups 1” cubes day-old sesame Italian bread
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
For the salad and assembly:
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, chopped
- ½ small head radicchio, chopped
- 3 ounces sliced and chopped sweet sopressata
- 2 ounces mortadella, chopped
- 2 ounces capicola, chopped
- ½ cup cubed Provolone cheese
- ½ cup Giardiniera, (pickled Italian vegetable salad), roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup pitted castelvetrano olives
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced pepperoncini peppers
Instructions:
For the dressing:
- Add the olive oil, vinegar and garlic to a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.
For the sesame croutons:
- Heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Toss the cubed bread with the oil and sesame seeds. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread in an even single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the croutons are crispy and golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Croutons can be kept in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
For the salad and assembly:
- Add the lettuce and radicchio to a salad bowl or large mixing bowl. Top with the sopressata, mortadella, capicola, provolone, giardiniera, olives and pepperoncini. Add half the croutons and drizzle salad dressing over top.
- Use tongs to toss to combine. Top with the remaining croutons and serve.
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