Where ma STACKED SANDWICH FANS at?! Realistically, I’m not sure if anyone exists who would turn down layers n’ layers of delicious ingredients on sourdough bread. I love a simple grilled cheese and all, but just look at the height and color on this vegan muffaletta!
You could say I’m quite the fan of stacked sammies myself, considering I gave them an entire chapter in my cookbook. Speaking of which, there’s an entire review of it on Find a Vegan Cookbook, which you can read here.
In case you’ve been snoozing, last week I kicked off my new epic summer sandwich series! It’s August now, y’all, and I’m ready to crank out as many beach-ready recipes as I can before this sunny season ends. Last week I shared a vegan lobster roll complete with salty kettle cooked potato chips – the perfect option for seafood fans. Next on the agenda is this vegan muffaletta!
It’s truly a deli-lovers dream with a savory olive tapenade, (vegan) deli meat and cheese, and a few extra toppings that really tie it all together. Even better, it has a hollowed-out middle so we can jam those layers in and get a perfect bite throughout the entire sandwich. Plus leaving it in the fridge for an hour (or more) lets all those rich flavors mesh together OH SO WELL. Well, what are you waiting for?! Keep scrolling to grab the recipe!
vegan muffaletta
It's the ultimate stacked sandwich! You might lose track of how many layers there are, but that just adds to how flavorful it is!
Ingredients
olive tapenade
- 1/4 C pitted green olives
- 1/4 C pitted black olives
- 1/4 C tightly packed fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 3 or 4 pickled pepperoncini, stems removed
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
muffaletta sandwich
- 8 to 10 slices zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick (about 1 large zucchini)
- vegetable oil
- 8 to 10 slices vegan deli meat
- 8 to 10 slices vegan provolone cheese
- 1/2 C thinly sliced red onion
- 3 or 4 slices roasted red pepper (from a jar)
- 2 C fresh arugula
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- round Italian loaf or sourdough (see note)
Instructions
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Place all of the olive tapenade ingredients in a food processor and pulse blend until combined.
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In a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat, add some vegetable oil. You’re going to grill the zucchini slices in batches in one layer. Add 3 or 4 slices of zucchini and grill for 2 minutes on each side. Repeat until all the zucchini is grilled and then set aside.
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Slice the top third off of the loaf of bread so that the bottom piece is larger. Using your fingers, hollow out the interior of the bread in both the bottom and top halves. Save the interior of the bread for another use like breadcrumbs.
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Spread the olive tapenade in an even layer on the bottom loaf of bread. Then layer with 4 or 5 slices of vegan deli meat, 4 or 5 slices of vegan cheese and half the red onion slices. Fold 4 slices of grilled zucchini so it’s arranged in one even layer. Add half the roasted red pepper and then half the arugula. Sprinkle sea salt and ground pepper to taste. Repeat with a second layer of filling starting with the vegan deli meat. Then top with the top half of the bread.
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Let it sit for at least an hour (or up to 4 hours) in the fridge before serving up. Slice into wedges just before serving.
Recipe Notes
You want a loaf of bread that is large, round and soft and chewy on the inside but has a crust on the outside.
6 thoughts on “vegan muffaletta”
hey lauren,
what deli meat do you like for this recipe? looks great, i cannot wait to make this for a lake day!
I am interested in which brand you used as well:)
the cheese is follow your hear/earth island and the meat is tofurkey deli slices – my faves!
How do I get the recipe? All I see is the title, the date, a photo and clickable links to tags or where the recipe is supposed to be found. I click on ‘recipe’ and it brings me to another page with other recipes, none of which actually show a recipe.
if you could try clearing your browsers image cache. I have not had any issues seeing recipes or having them load.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.