Vegan Muffuletta Sandwich
By the Gracious Vegan
I remember the first time I tasted a muffuletta sandwich, at the New Orleans Jazz Festival years ago. They looked surprised when I asked them to leave off the meat and cheese--I just wanted the olive salad on the gorgeous soft roll. I adore Greek olives and I can't get enough of Olive Tapenade, a spreadable paste made with olives, so I was sure I would like this sandwich topping with the quirky name. With muffuletta, celery and caper flavors pop out on top of the briny base of olives. All my senses were more than pleased that afternoon as I ate my sandwich as I listened to live Cajun music in the warm, moist sunshine. Since that experience, I’ve developed my own recipes for the olive salad and the sandwich, with plant-based substitutions to make it healthy as well as delicious.
Makes as many servings as you want
You can use any kind of bread or wrap. The classic muffuletta sandwich is made with a single round loaf, cut in half horizontally to create a very large round sandwich that is sliced into portions. You can do the same with any large loaf of bread, or you can make individual sandwiches with bread slices or rolls.
A loaf of bread (cut in half horizontally, with some of the inner bread scooped out if it is thick), bread slices, rolls, or tortilla wraps
Spread your bread with a healthy portion of the olive salad. I like olive salad on the top and bottom breads.
Layer your sandwich with a few of the following.
Roasted red peppers (home-roasted or jarred, drained and rinsed)
Thin slices of Baked Tofu or tempeh or seitan
Hot pickled peppers, such as pepperoncini, or any variety of giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables)
Vegan provolone cheese is also an option, though it is not as healthy as the above ingredients
You can eat your sandwich immediately, or wrap it. It keeps well, and letting the bread absorb the juices works very well. For individual sandwiches, wrap them tightly so that the juices are absorbed and the sandwich is pressed together well. For a large loaf, you may want to wrap it and weight it down (or press it down with your hands) to get the same effect: juices absorbed and layers mushed into each other.
Timing: About 20 minutes
Gluten-free if gluten-free bread is used