Muffuletta Skewers are a fun take on the Classic New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich. With all the right flavors and traditional ingredients, these colorful anitpasto-type kabobs are loaded up with ham, salami, cheese, olives and drizzled with an oil & vinegar dressing straight from the muffuletta olive salad. There’s no question as to why Muffuletta Skewers are the perfect party appetizer for game days, weekends, potlucks and cookouts.
If you love antipasto, you’re going to be head over heels for this easy Louisiana style twist! The briny goodness of the olives, the zesty punch of salami and salty ham, balanced by savory Provolone cheese and a kick of well-seasoned oil and vinegar dressing- traditional flavors that have been New Orleans favorites for years!
One look at these colorful kabobs and there’s no doubt Muffuletta Skewers are 100% party food, but don’t discount their appeal as a side dish either. They are delectable partners for a bowl of soup, a slice of quiche or a zesty pasta salad!
What is a Muffuletta?
A classic New Orleans Muffuletta is stuffed sandwich made with round Italian bread. The bread is stuffed with a unique chopped olive salad, or relish, then layered up with ham, Italian meats and cheese. These sandwiches are usually served cold, but you can get them toasted (my fave!).
And because of that olive relish, a real muffuletta actually gets better as it sits at room temp. All that oil and vinegar from the dressing gets together with the oils from the meats and cheese and soak into the bread, creating one beautiful, unified flavor like no other! Since room temp is the sweet spot, muffulettas are perfect party food!
What You Need To Make New Orleans Muffuletta Skewers
- smoked deli ham
- deli style salami
- Provolone cheese
- jarred roasted red bell pepper
- pepperoncini peppers
- black olives
- pimento stuffed green olives
- Italalin or French loaf
- oil & vinegar dressing (see recipe card for ingredients)
What Kind of Bread Should I Use
Just like for a real muffuletta, the bread you use for these skewers is important. You don’t want a bread that can’t stand up to a little oil and vinegar and might fall apart when threaded onto a skewer. A hard Italian or French loaf or baguette works great, but Ciabatta will do the trick too!
What Kind of Olives Should I Use
Olive lovers and olive haters all agree that it is the olives that make the flavors of the muffuletta so unforgettably good! So what kinds of olives should you choose when making these skewers? Surprisingly enough, nothing crazy fancy. Just good, solild standards like pimento stuffed Manzanillas or pitted black Kalamatas.
How To Make Muffuletta Skewers As An Appetizer or Side Dish
Prep the meat & cheese. Layer the ham, cheese and salami. Roll up and put in the fridge to chill while you gather the other ingredients and make your assembly line. When you’re ready to put your skewers together, slice the meat & cheese roll ups in to 1″ slices.
Make the assembly line. Gather up your ingredients and skewers and lay them out in this order: skewers, peppers, bread, black olives, meat & cheese, bell pepper, green olives. Aseemble skewers by starting with the peppers and going down the line, threading each item onto the skewers. End with a second cube of bread. Place on tray or platter.
Drizzle the dressing. Put all dressing ingredients into a jar. Close with a lid and shake vigrously. Lightly drizzle each skewer with dressing and serve! If serving later, cover skewers and refrigerate. Drizzle dressing on right before serving.
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New Orleans Muffuletta Skewers
Ingredients
- 4 slices smoked deli ham
- 4 slices Provolone cheese
- 4 slices deli style salami
- 12-16 oz Italian or French loaf
- 12 oz roasted red bellpepper, drained
- 5.75 oz pimento stuffed medium green olives
- 6 oz medium pitted black olives
- 16 oz whole pepperoncini peppers
- 12 medium skewers
Oil & Vinegar Dressing/Drizzle
- ¼ C olive oil
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1.5 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp (each) salt & pepper
Instructions
- Layer 1 slice ham, cheese and salami. Roll up and use a toothpick to pin in place. Repeat until all meat & cheese is used. Place in fridge to chill.
- While meat and cheese is chilling, slice bread into 1 inch thick slices. You will need about 6-8 slices. Then cut slices into 1 inch cubes. You will need 24 cubes in all. (There will be bread left over. Just bag up and store rest of loaf.) Set cubes aside.
- Cut drained red bell pepper into (12) 1 inch squares. Set aside. Remove 12 each from their cans or jars- green and black olives and pepperoncini peppers. Put each in little bowls or on a paper towel. Set aside.
- Remove meat & cheese from fridge. Slice off uneven edges and discard. Slice each "roll up" into 1 inch slices- about 3-4 slices from each roll up.
- Set up an assembly line in this order: skewers, peppers, bread, black olives, meat & cheese, bell pepper, green olives. Aseemble skewers by starting with the peppers and going down the line. Thread each item on the skewers. End with a second cube of bread. Place on tray or platter.
- Put all dressing ingredients into a jar. Close with a lid and shake vigrously. Lightly drizzle each skewer with dressing and serve! If serving later, Cover skewers and refrigerate. Drizzle dressing on right before serving.
Wow, what a great idea!!!
Thanks, Kathy! I love muffulettas and these skewers are like the perfect bite of one!