The muffuletta is an iconic sandwich that originated in the French Quarter of New Orleans. If you don’t already know, the classic muffuletta features olive salad and several meats and cheeses sandwiched between two hearty slices of fresh Italian bread. Luckily, the combination of ingredients that makes the sandwich recipe a winner also translates nicely to pasta salad—and that’s just what we created with our muffuletta pasta salad recipe.

This hearty side is sure to be a crowd-pleasing Mardi Gras recipe at your celebrations. Muffuletta pasta salad can also be served alongside favorite picnic recipes at a summertime potluck or backyard barbecue.

Ingredients for Muffuletta Pasta Salad

• Pasta: The best type of pasta to use in this recipe is a short-cut pasta with a lot of nooks and crannies, such as rotini, farfalle or capanelle.
• Meats: This pasta salad uses salami, ham and mortadella to match the meats found in a muffuletta sandwich. You can cut the meat into cubes yourself or look for pre-cubed meat in the deli section. Save any leftovers for a charcuterie board!
• Cheeses: The creamy and mild flavors of mozzarella and provolone balance the saltiness of the cured meats. Using a hard or aged variety for both the mozzarella and provolone will give your pasta salad longer storage life.
• Olive salad: The bulk of flavor in this salad comes from jarred olive salad. This classic muffuletta sandwich spread typically includes finely chopped olives, peppers, cauliflower, capers and celery along with garlic and spices such as oregano. Use a store-bought jar, or prepare homemade olive salad to go the extra mile.
• Pepperoncini: Diced pepperoncini add a tangy flavor along with a mild spice to the muffuletta salad.
• Olives: Sliced black and green olives add color and more briny olive flavor to the salad.
• Roasted red peppers: Roasting red peppers brings out their flavor. You can roast the red peppers yourself or use jarred roasted red peppers.
• Red onion: This type of onion adds a peppery and spicy flavor to the muffuletta salad.
• Fresh parsley: Fresh chopped parsley adds a pop of color and fresh herb notes.
• Red wine vinaigrette: The pasta salad is lightly dressed with a simple red wine vinaigrette that incorporates olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning.

Taste of Home