Vegan Muffuletta Sandwich A New Orleans classic with a fresh plant-based twist | Veganes Muffuletta Sandwich Ein New-Orleans-Klassiker

Vegan Muffuletta Sandwich

A New Orleans classic with a fresh plant-based twist

Hello friends,

Lately, I’ve been diving deep into American-Italian classics — and today’s craving led me straight to one of New Orleans’ greatest culinary icons: the Muffuletta Sandwich.

I first came across it while reading about its history — invented in 1906 at Central Grocery by Sicilian immigrant Salvatore Lupo. Traditionally, it’s a massive sandwich filled with Italian cold cuts, cheese, and olive salad. It’s rich, flavorful, and meant to be shared — a true reflection of the city’s food culture.

Of course, I wanted to make it vegan — and the result was absolutely delicious! The combination of creamy chickpeas, roasted pepper, avocado, and tangy olive salad gives this plant-based version all the bold flavors of the original without any meat or cheese.

It’s colorful, satisfying, and perfect for summer lunches or picnics.
Give it a try — it’s one of those recipes that makes you fall in love at first bite.

Enjoy,
— Alissa 🌿

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🫒 Vegan Muffuletta Sandwich

Serves: 4  Prep Time: 20 minutes  Rest: none (though even better after chilling 1 hour)

Ingredients
Chickpea Spread:

• 1 small can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• ½ roasted red pepper (fresh or from a jar)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 tsp tahini

• Salt and pepper to taste

Olive Salad:

• ¾ cup sliced green olives

• ¾ cup sliced black olives

• ½ mild jalapeño or banana pepper, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp capers

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

• Freshly ground black pepper

To Assemble:

• 1 loaf crusty Italian or Turkish white bread

• 1 large ripe avocado, sliced

• 1 large tomato, sliced

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Instructions

1. Prepare the chickpea spread:
   In a food processor, combine chickpeas, roasted red pepper, olive oil, lime juice, tahini, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

2. Make the olive salad:
   In a medium bowl, mix the olives, capers, peppers, garlic, parsley, oregano, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Set aside to marinate while you prep the bread.

3. Assemble the sandwich:
   Slice the bread horizontally and remove some of the inner crumb to make space for the filling.
   Spoon a bit of the olive salad liquid onto both cut sides of the bread.

4. Layer:
   Spread the chickpea mixture on the bottom half, add avocado and tomato slices, then top generously with the olive salad.
   Place the top half of the loaf on and press gently.

5. Serve:
   Cut into four wedges with a serrated knife. Serve immediately or wrap and chill for an hour for even more flavor.

http://www.veganpeace.com/recipe_pages/recipes/ChickpeaAndAvocadoMuffaletta.htm

 

Muffuletta History

The Muffuletta Sandwich was first created in 1906 by Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant and owner of Central Grocery in New Orleans. It’s now considered one of the world’s great sandwiches.

A traditional muffuletta includes a round loaf of bread, marinated olive salad, and layers of capicola, salami, mortadella, Emmentaler, and provolone cheese. The olive salad — with olives, celery, cauliflower, carrot, and olive oil — is the heart of the sandwich and gives it its signature flavor.

Central Grocery still serves the original, while many New Orleans restaurants have created their own variations — and even Disney World serves it today!

 

Veganes Muffuletta Sandwich

Ein New-Orleans-Klassiker – neu interpretiert und ganz ohne Fleisch oder Käse

Dieses Rezept habe ich auf einer veganen Seite entdeckt und leicht abgewandelt – und ich wusste sofort: das ist mein Sandwich!
Eine reife Avocado wartete schon darauf, endlich verwendet zu werden, und das Ergebnis war unglaublich lecker.

Dieses Sandwich hat einfach alles: cremige Kichererbsen, würzigen Olivensalat, frische Tomaten und Avocado – bunt, aromatisch und sättigend.

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Zutaten (für 4 Portionen)

Kichererbsencreme:

• 1 kleine Dose Kichererbsen, abgetropft

• ½ geröstete rote Paprika (oder aus dem Glas)

• 1 EL Olivenöl

• Saft einer Limette

• 1 TL Tahin

• Salz & Pfeffer

Olivensalat:

• 20 grüne Oliven, gehackt

• 20 schwarze Oliven, gehackt

• 4 milde Jalapeños oder eingelegte Peperoni, gehackt

• 2 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt

• 1 EL Kapern

• 2 EL Petersilie, gehackt

• 1 TL Oregano

• 6 EL Olivenöl

• 2 EL weißer Balsamico

• Salz & Pfeffer

Zum Belegen:

• 1 Laib italienisches oder türkisches Weißbrot

• 1–2 reife Avocados, in Scheiben

• 1 große Tomate, in Scheiben

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Zubereitung

1. Kichererbsen, Paprika, Öl, Tahin, Salz und Pfeffer pürieren.

2. Oliven, Kapern, Jalapeños, Petersilie, Oregano, Öl und Essig mischen.

3. Brot längs aufschneiden, etwas Krume entfernen.

4. Kichererbsenmix auf die Unterseite streichen, mit Avocado, Tomaten und Olivensalat belegen.

5. Etwas von der Marinade auf das Oberteil träufeln, Deckel aufsetzen, leicht andrücken und in Stücke schneiden.

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✨ Tipp: Schmeckt wunderbar leicht gekühlt – perfekt für Sommerabende, Picknicks oder Lunchboxen.