You can make this hearty monster sandwich with the traditional muffaletta bread, a baguette, or any other long French or Italian loaf. This creates a sandwich that challenges the biggest mouth, and I devil dare you to eat a whole muffaletta by yourself.

The muffaletta sandwich originated at the Central Grocery in New Orleans. According to the founder’s daughter, her father sold salami, ham, cheese, olive salad, and Italian loaves to farmers, who then proceeded to eat these while balancing trays on their knees and sitting on crates. The Central Grocery founder suggested splitting the bread and putting everything inside it. And so, the muffaletta sandwich was born.

Try one and see why those Sicilian farmers soon came to order a muffaletta for lunch.

 

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Olive Salad Spread

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 stalk celery, sliced

½ cup sliced green olives

½ cup sliced black olives

¼ cup minced parsley

¼ cup olive oil

½ tsp pepper

 

Sandwich

1 loaf baguette or other long Italian or French bread

5 oz (145g) mild cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

3 oz (85g) sliced ham

3 oz (85g) sliced salami

1 medium-large tomato, sliced

1/3 large red onion, thinly sliced

 

Make Olive Salad Spread

1. In a food processor, pulse the garlic, celery, olives, parsley, oil, and pepper until it’s a coarse mixture.

2. Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

 

Assemble Sandwich

3. Slice the loaf down the middle and slather both sides with the olive salad spread.

4. Arrange cheese slices on both sides of the loaf.

5. Arrange ham slices on one side and salami slices on the other.

6. Arrange tomato slices on one side and onion slices on the other.

7. Bring the two sides together into one big sandwich.

The muffaletta can be eaten right away or wrapped in plastic wrap to take on a picnic. Enjoy!