Muffaletta Pasta Salad

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Muffaletta Pasta Salad has all the flavors of a delicious muffalatta sandwich, but in a an delicious, picnic worthy and pot luck necessary pasta salad form.

 

Muffaleta Pasta Salad brings all the bold, briny flavor of the classic New Orleans sandwich into an easy pasta salad recipe that belongs at every potluck, picnic, and summer cookout. Tender pasta, savory Italian meats, provolone, crisp vegetables, and a zesty olive salad dressing create a colorful side dish that feels hearty enough to stand on its own while still pairing beautifully with grilled favorites and casual party spreads.

 

For readers who love deli-inspired pasta salad ideas, this Muffaleta Pasta Salad offers the same make-ahead convenience and crowd-pleasing appeal as Kani Salad and Pizza Pasta Salad, but with a tangy Mediterranean twist. Each bite delivers a satisfying mix of salty, cheesy, crunchy, and herby flavors, making it a standout cold pasta salad for meal prep, game day menus, barbecue sides, and easy entertaining.

 

I poured over what to call this Muffaletta Pasta Salad. I joked with S that we were having antipasto pasta salad. “You can’t have ANTIpasto pasta salad. The ANTIPASTO means there’s NO pasta.” It was funny. I just had that stuck in my head; antipasto pasta salad. It just has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

 

 

Confession time.

 

I was unsuccessful at finding the turkey pepperoni minis that I know Hormel makes. I honestly meant for those to go in the salad. They’re spicy and tasty and lower in fat than regular pepperoni. Granted, the salami that I put in there wasn’t very low fat, but I thought they’d be a nice balance between the two. Plus, I didn’t load up on the salami. What did I use in its place? Please. Don’t judge. Jack Link’s TURKEY Snack Sticks. I said, “Don’t judge” didn’t I?

 

They weren’t bad, but not what I meant to put in here. Please. Follow the recipe and find the turkey pepperoni minis, or use regular pepperoni minis if you’re not following a low fat diet.

 

 

As I was sitting here trying to figure out what to call it, I remember something WAY BACK in the deep dark recesses of my craptastic memory; there’s a sandwich like this isn’t there? An Italian meats sandwich that’s all mashed together and layered? Yeah? What in the world is that called?? So, off to Pinterest I go and search for sandwiches.

 

Now, it might be a bit of a stretch to call this a Muffaletta Pasta Salad, but it has almost all of the ingredients of a traditional Muffaletta sandwich.

Ingredients for Muffaletta Pasta Salad

• olive salad, in this case the ingredients for the olive salad are present
• salami
• ham
• cheese, in this case two types: Asiago and mozzarella

 

I mean, how can I NOT call this a Muffaletta Pasta Salad? All the ingredients are there! Right? No? Oh well. That’s what I’m calling it and you can’t change my mind! So there!

 

 

A word about hearts of palm. If you haven’t tasted this delicacy, why not? They are delicious! They’re an easy addition to any salad to elevate it just a touch. I treat them like marinated artichoke hearts. I don’t eat them often and usually try to make a dish where they won’t get lost in the other ingredients. The jar I opened had one that was too fibrous to eat, but that’s a rarity. If it’s not fork tender, then don’t try to eat it.

Okay. PSA for the day is done. Now, let’s get back to this Muffuletta Pasta Salad!