Easy Vegan Olive and Roasted Red Pepper Muffuletta

This easy Muffuletta is a plant-based twist on a popular and traditional New Orleans sandwich! Typically made on a round Sicilian sesame bread bun it’s filled with meat, cheese, and the iconic olive spread! Our version uses roasted red pepper, and vegan deli slices in place of cold-cuts! With all of the flavor packed into this little sandwich this is a dish that you could absolutely serve a non-plant based crew!

Weekday, summer, nights call for easy dinners at my house…and bonus if it’s also a recipe where I don’t need to turn on the stovetop or the oven! And, these Easy Vegan Olive and Roasted Red Pepper Muffulettas fit the bill perfectly. Traditionally this Italian-American dish only uses meat, cheese, and olive spread but I also happen to like spinach and tomato…so my version includes those as well. If you’ve got a pallet that craves salty, briny, and vinegary flavors you are sure to love these olive infused sandwiches. Admittedly, they can be a little messy to eat, but I promise they are worth every sloppy bite!

What you are going to need to buy:

Rolls (Don’t overthink this. Use what you like…with one exception, do not use hamburger buns!)

Roasted Red Peppers (Roast your own, or buy them in a jar)

Tomato

Spinach

Green Olives

Kalamata Black Olives

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Olive Oil

Vegan Cheese Slices (We like Follow Your Heart vegan Provolone Slices)

Vegan Deli Slices (We like Field Roast Smoked Tomato Slices and Tofurky Original Oven Roasted Slices)
 

What you are going to need to do:

First things first, I should confess that this recipe is super-easy…like you probably don’t really even need written directions to make it, but here we are…

To begin, you will want to finely chop a handful of green olives (The ones stuffed with pimento are my favorite for this) as well as a handful of black, kalamata olives.

*A note about olives…from someone who is a little bit of an olive snob. Try, as much as you are able, to stay away from canned olives. Opt for the fresh or jarred option, if you can. trust me, your taste buds will tank you for it.)

To the olive mixture add a drizzle of olive oil and minced garlic, to taste. Using the back of a fork, work the mixture by hand, mashing the olives and garlic into the oil, until it becomes slightly paste-like. You do still want the chucks of olives to be somewhat discernible but also need to be able to spread it onto the rolls.

From here, It’s just assembly. I started with a layer of spinach, followed by my roasted red pepper and my deli slices. I then added two slices of cheese and the tomato. On the top side of the bun, spread a generous amount of the olive mixture and top your muffuletta.

To serve, with a sharp, serrated knife, cut into halves or quarters.

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Sandwich with Olive and Garlic Spread

Confession: I’ve been on a total sandwich kick this week…mainly because I bought some delicious rolls for my Vegan Muffulettas and, if I am honest, I typically don’t keep a lot of bread in the house…because, basically, I have no will power around carbs! But, tonight’s recipe is so easy and low calorie that none of that really matters…It’s delicious and that’s all you need to know.

I don’t know about you, but even though I love to cook, there are just some weeknights that I simply don’t have the energy for big, extravagant, gourmet, meals. This week has been that week, and full disclosure, I have had some variation of “sandwich” every night so far. Tonight is no exception but with the addition of this sandwich being toasted, I will admit, it feels more like a dinner, and less like a lunch! These Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Sandwiches with Olive and Garlic Spread are simple enough to whip up, even after the longest of days, and hearty enough to not feel like you are skimping on “dinner.”

What you are going to need to buy:

Rolls (Don’t overthink this. Use what you like…with one exception, do not use hamburger buns!)

Roasted Red Peppers (Roast your own, or buy them in a jar)

Spinach

Green Olives

Kalamata Black Olives

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Olive Oil

Vegan Feta Cheese (We like Violife - Just Like Feta Block)
 

What you are going to need to do:

Honestly, I always feel a bit weird about calling a sandwich a “recipe” because it’s really just all assembly…but this one does have a couple of steps.

Set your oven to the broil setting…choose “low” if you have the option.

To begin, you will want to finely chop a handful of green olives (The ones stuffed with pimento are my favorite for this) as well as a handful of black, kalamata olives.

*A note about olives…from someone who is a little bit of an olive snob. Try, as much as you are able, to stay away from canned olives. Opt for the fresh or jarred option, if you can. trust me, your taste buds will tank you for it.)

To the olive mixture add a drizzle of olive oil and minced garlic, to taste. Using the back of a fork, work the mixture by hand, mashing the olives and garlic into the oil, until it becomes slightly paste-like. You do still want the chucks of olives to be somewhat discernible but also need to be able to spread it onto the rolls.

On the bottom half of your roll arrange spinach, the roasted red peppers, and thin slices of vegan cheese. For this dish, I love the saltiness of feta. It pairs so beautifully with the olives!

Place under the broiler for one to two minutes until cheese is soft and melt-y, but not not brown and the bottom of the roll is crunchy. This happens quick…keep your eye on it.

Add the olive spread to the top bun, top and serve by cutting into halves or quarters.

That’s it…see, told you it was easy!