mini muffulettas Archives

One of my favorite foods for Mardi Gras season is muffuletta sliders. A muffuletta is a famous New Orleans sandwich, a favorite of Sicilians in the early 20^th century. It’s a very large, filling sandwich, so I serve this muffuletta sliders version at Mardi Gras parties.

You will need foil, a baking pan, a bowl, and a sharp long knife for muffuletta sliders.

Place the contents of 2 Italian olive salad jars in a bowl. Add sliced kalamata olives and capers and mix well.

With a serrated bread knife or other long knife, cut party rolls in half lengthwise through the center. Put the top halves aside for now. Place the bottom half on a cutting board.

Carefully spoon the olive salad mix onto the bottom half of the rolls, trying not to scoop all the oil as you go. Spread the olive mix over all the bread thinly (it should look like one vegetable thick).

Cover the surface with Swiss cheese, then ham.

Spoon olive mix and cover the surface thinly. (This layer can be omitted if desired.)

Cover the surface with provolone, then Genoa salami.

Spoon olive mix and cover the surface thinly.

Put the top half of the rolls on top. With a very sharp knife, cut the rolls apart.

Carefully slide the rolls onto the shiny side of a large piece of foil. Wrap well (the oil will try to ooze out).

Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until the cheeses are melted. Serve with lots of paper napkins!

Muffuletta sliders are an irresistible combination of Italian olive salad, genoa salami, ham, Swiss, and provolone!

Nutrition facts for muffuletta sliders

One recipe of 24 muffuletta sliders is approximately 9950 calories. 1 slider is approximately 415 calories. Calorie count will depend on exact products you use.

Are you watching your carbs? I’ve had success making a healthier version by making a muffuletta quesadilla! My tortilla is made of spaghetti squash, liquid egg, and swiss cheese. I layer on low sodium turkey deli slices, low fat grated swiss cheese, and of course, the muffuletta olive salad mix. Delicious!

Resource links

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/02/classic-new-orleans-muffuletta-recipe.html
- Classic New Orleans muffuletta sandwich from Serious Eats
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/new-orleans/the-big-easys-five-best-muffalettas
- The Big Easy’s 5 Best Muffulettas from Thrillist
http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsandwiches.html#muffulettas
- Muffuletta history from Food Timeline
https://www.boscoli.com/node/8
- Boscoli family Italian olive salad
http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com
- Mardi Gras New Orleans website

Let’s talk story

The Three Kings arrive on January 6, the Twelfth Day of Christmas. That is the start of Mardi Gras season, which lasts until the day before Ash Wednesday, Fat Tuesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lent fasting season, so traditionally people would use up all their fats on Tuesday by feasting. Mardi Gras season is a time for friends and family and good food.