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Muffuletta Pasta Salad

Muffuletta Pasta Salad

This Muffuletta Pasta Salad features all the flavors of the classic New Orleans sandwich in a salad format. Complete with mortadella, provolone, capicola, salami, and of course, the iconic olive salad, this BBQ side is meaty, tangy, and brilliantly briny.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Olive Salad
  • 1 cup mixed olives pitted
  • ½ cup giardiniera drained
  • ½ cup fresh parsley coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp capers drained
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
Muffeletta Pasta Salad
  • 250g (9oz) uncooked short pasta I used mafalda corta
  • 145g (5 oz) provolone cheese cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 75g (2.5oz) pepper-coated salami cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 75g (2.5oz) mortadella torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 55g (2oz) capicola torn into bite-sized pieces
  • ¾ cup green olives pitted, halved
  • 1 batch Olive Salad see above
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup mixed greens **
  • crushed red pepper flakes for sprinkling

Equipment

  • 1 Food Processor

Method
 

For the Olive Salad
  1. Place olives, giardiniera, parsley, capers, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles mulch. ***
    1 cup mixed olives, ½ cup giardiniera, ½ cup fresh parsley , 1 tbsp capers, 2 cloves garlic
  2. Transfer the olive salad to a bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Overnight in the fridge is better. This will give the flavors a chance to meld.
For the Pasta Salad
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and liberally salt the water. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.**** Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water.
    250g (9oz) uncooked short pasta
  2. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and add the provolone, mortadella, capicola, salami, olives, and the olive salad. Add the olive oil and the red wine vinegar and toss to coat.
    145g (5 oz) provolone cheese, 75g (2.5oz) pepper-coated salami , 75g (2.5oz) mortadella, 55g (2oz) capicola, ¾ cup green olives, 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 batch Olive Salad
  3. Pile the pasta salad onto a platter and top with the greens or serve them as a side. Sprinkle the salad with crushed red pepper flakes and serve immediately.
    1 cup mixed greens **, crushed red pepper flakes

Notes

** I used a medley of baby lettuce, mizuna, and pea shoots. Feel free to use whatever assortment of leafy greens you prefer. 
*** Don't over-process the olive salad. We don't want it to be perfectly smooth. We're looking for small chunks. 
**** When making pasta salad its a good idea to slightly undercooked the pasta. The longer the pasta sits in dressing, the mushier its liable to get.