Muffuletta Pasta Salad

This will disappear in minutes.

By

Elizabeth Mervosh

Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for the Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama and tests and develops recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and Health. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from American University in Washington, D.C. After university, she dipped her toes in the restaurant industry and never looked back. She completed her culinary degree at The Culinary Institute of America. Elizabeth has been a part of the Meredith Food Studios since 2017. Prior to that, she cooked in restaurants in New Orleans, Charleston, and Chicago.

Published on August 20, 2025

Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Active Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 10 mins

Servings:

8

A first bite of a muffuletta is one you don’t soon forget. The sandwich was brought to the U.S. by Italian immigrants as early as the 1800s and made famous by iconic spots like Central Grocery, where it’s been served since 1906. Each sandwich is piled high on round Italian bread with meats, cheeses, and the signature olive spread.

You shouldn’t expect a different experience with this muffuletta pasta salad. The dressing is simultaneously punchy, savory, and briny from the olives, pepperoncini, and spices in the olive salad, and a combination of lemon juice and red wine vinegar adds a balanced acidity. This pasta salad is packed with all the goodies: Sweet bell peppers, savory salami, hot capocollo, and mortadella, and salty cheese. The sesame seeds add a slight nutty note in an otherwise punchy pasta salad and throw back to the sesame loaf that’s sometimes used as the bread of choice.

Recipe Tips From The Southern Living Test Kitchen

• Central Grocery’s Olive Salad is available at Publix and is delicious. However, drain the olive salad so the oil won’t dilute the flavor of the dressing.
• Allowing the pasta salad to rest gives the dressing and other ingredients time to mingle and meld, creating a more complex and flavorful dish. Be sure to stir occasionally so the dressing is well distributed.
• Store leftovers in an air-tight container, refrigerated, for up to one day. Stir and allow the salad to come to room temperature before serving.
• Do not cook the pasta to al dente for pasta salads. As the pasta cools, it will firm up to become al dente once again.
• Substitute rigatoni for orecchiette, bowties, or conchiglie—all these shapes would hold the olives and cured meats nicely.

NEVER LOSE A FAVORITE RECIPE AGAIN

With MyRecipes, your personal recipe box, you can save and organize your *Southern Living *favorites and thousands more in one place.

Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

1 (16-oz.) pkg. uncooked rigatoni pasta

1 1/2 cups drained store-bought olive salad & sandwich spread (such as Central Grocery’s)

3/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. drained nonpareil capers

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 (12-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and coarsely chopped (1 1/4 cups)

8 oz. thinly sliced Italian deli meats (such as salami, hot capocollo, and mortadella), cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)

1 (8-oz.) pkg. provolone cheese slices, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Gather all ingredients.

Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox 1.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, according to package directions for tender. Drain and rinse pasta under cold running water until cool, about 1 minute; drain well and set aside. 1.

While pasta is cooking, whisk together olive salad, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, capers, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined.

Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Add cooked pasta, bell peppers, deli meats, and provolone; stir to combine. Let stand, stirring occasionally, at room temperature, until flavors meld, about 30 minutes.

Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Stir in basil and sesame seeds. Garnish with additional basil.

Credit:

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox