Muffuletta Pizza

I'm challenging myself to cook New Orleans (N'awlins) style dishes that I love.  I grew up in Cajun land, Louisiana about an hour away but never really learned to prepare many of the specialty meals that my hometown region is known for.  That ends now! 

One of my favorite things to eat in New Orleans is a Muffuletta sandwich.  Most people hear of the famous shop, Central Grocery, located in the French Quarter where these gigantic sandwiches are sold most often.  Now the neighboring grocery markets and restaurants carry their own signature stamp to this recipe too. 

I decided to try a twist on the muffuletta and make it into a pizza instead, especially since I didn't have the right bread to make the sandwich.  I loved it!  So did my family visitors who joined me for dinner over the weekend.  We all couldn't get enough of this olive salad inspired meal! 


Mandy's Muffuletta Pizza
(Makes Two Pizzas)

(Important Note:  This requires a day of marinating.  Therefore you'll need to prepare your olive salad one day prior to serving the pizza.)


For the olive salad (made the day before):

1 cup of chopped green olives with pimientoes
1 cup of choped black olives (Calamatas)
1/2 cup of roasted sweet red peppers, diced
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped pepperonci 
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar since that's what I had on hand)
2 tsp of dry Italian seasoning mix (or use half an envelope mix)





For the pizza: 2 thin and crispy pizza crusts (or use 6 mini pizza crusts like I did)
5-6 slices of salami, cut or torn into pieces
5-6 slices of ham, cut or torn into pieces
5-6 slices of pastrami, cut or torn into pieces
5-6 slices of provolone cheese, cut or torn into pieces
1/2 cup of reduced fat shredded cheese variety, such as mozzarella or cheddar


Mix all the ingredients of the olive salad in a bowl.  If you used the jar olives and marinades like I did, then drain some of the excess oil from them before mixing.  Place olive salad in a storage container and put into the fridge overnight. 






The next day, place your thin and crispy pizza crust on a baking pan that has been lightly greased with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, place the olive salad that has been marinating overnight.  Stir.  Add in the cut up (or torn) pieces of ham, salami, pastrami and provolone cheese.  Mix well so that the marinade covers the meat and cheese.  Spoon the muffuletta mixture over your pizza crust.  Top with the 1/2 cup of shredded cheese of your choice, sprinkling it all over.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pizza is lightly browned around the edges of the crust.





Cut each pizza into 6 or 8 slices.  Enjoy! 

Note:  Although I didn't have enough left over to freeze, I believe that you can take any leftovers from this pizza and freeze it for a later time.  You may need to drizzle a bit more olive oil on it when reheating in the oven though.


What is your favorite New Orleans inspired meal?  I'm looking for more recipes to try in the future.  Any ideas for me?