CHEESY MUFFULETTA DIP is filled with all the ingredients I love in a muffuletta sandwich!
Have you ever had a muffuletta sandwich, with marinated olive salad and Italian meats and cheeses on a round Sicilian Sesame bread? If you have been to New Orleans Central Market or just about any restaurant in New Orleans you have probably tried it. It was created by Italian immigrants in New Orleans Louisiana, and now New Orleans has adopted it as its own. In Texas, we have a regional restaurant chain that has gigantic muffuletta sandwiches that I love! A fourth of a sandwich is more than enough for a meal.
I wanted to turn the traditional muffuletta sandwich into a Cheesy Muffuletta Dip. And it was easy (and cheesy)! Start by making this wonderfully flavorful olive salad with chopped green and black olives, and giardiniera, which includes marinated cauliflower, carrots, celery, and hot peppers, and let that sit in the refrigerator to marinade (preferably) overnight. The flavors come together beautifully. It is salty and tangy with a little kick from the giardiniera.
Once you have the olive salad made, mix it with some softened cream cheese to make the dip base. Then top it with shredded Italian style cheese that includes Mozzarella and Provolone, and bake it in the oven. It is wonderful served with either chips or toasted french bread.
We took it to a friend’s house for a party and it was gone! I had a nice empty dish to take back home with no leftovers!
Now it is your turn. With whom will you be sharing this Cheesy Muffuletta Dip?
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 Cups Spanish Green Olives chopped
- ½ Cup Pitted Kalamata Olives chopped
- 1 Cup Giardiniera chopped
- 2 Fresh Garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
- Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground pepper To Taste salt may not be necessary
- 1 - 1½ Cups Olive Oil
- 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups shredded Italian Style cheese mozzarella, provolone
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the first 8 ingredients to make the muffuletta salad and refrigerate. This can be done the day before.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the olive salad mixture with the softened cream cheese.
- Mix 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese in with the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon the mixture in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes or until it is heated through and the cheese is melted.
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my other Cajun recipes, such as:
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