With Mardi Gras almost here I wanted to share with you another classic New Orleans recipe to add to the many others I already have on the blog, including Vegan Dirty Rice, Vegan Gumbo, Vegan Jambalaya, Vegan Etouffee, and Vegan Fricassee. This vegan Muffaletta Casserole is just as tasty and unique as all of those recipes and I hope that like them it also becomes one of your favorites to make and eat year-round.
What is muffaletta?
Muffaletta, sometimes spelled mufuletta, is a sandwich that originated among Sicilian immigrants in New Orleans. A large Italian sesame seed bun is layered with various kinds of cured meats, including ham and salami, an olive paste and provolone cheese, then cut into pieces and served as individual sandwiches.
Can you make a vegan muffaletta?
That’s a logical question given that this is a particularly meat-heavy sandwich, with cheese as one of its other key ingredients. However, thanks to the easy availability of vegan deli meats and cheese, you can definitely make a very, very tasty vegan muffaletta–one that even a meat-eater would enjoy. And although I will not pretend that this is health food, it has lots of protein, some healthy veggies, and is far better for you than any dish made of cured meats, which come not only with oodles of cholesterol but are also known to be carcinogenic. Jay, my 13-year-old son, adores vegan deli meats in sandwiches and this casserole was one I designed as a treat for him. If you have kids or teens of your own, or are cooking for some, you might find that this dish passes their taste test with flying colors.
Why you’ll love this vegan muffaletta casserole
It’s super tasty. There are so many contrasting elements in a muffuletta and together they make each bite an adventure of delicious flavors and textures. It’s an easy recipe. There are a couple of elements here you need to pull together, but they come together in a blender or food processor–the olive salad and the creamy, cheesy custard. The only other thing you need to do is layer the casserole and then let the oven do the rest. It’s easy to tweak to various diets.Gluten-free or soy-free? Use a gluten-free sandwich bread for the casserole and make sure you buy gluten-free and soy-free deli meats. I used Tofurky slices which do have gluten and soy, but Green Slice and Quorn, among others, make a variety of soy-free, gluten-free, vegan deli meats. Low-carb? Use a low-carb bread–there are so many on the market now and they are quite amazing. I especially love the Old Tyme Italian 647 loaf for this recipe. Nut-free? I used cashew milk in the recipe but if you are nut-free you can use oat milk or soy milk or any other creamy non dairy milk.
How to make the vegan muffaletta casserole
Make the olive salad/tapenade: Place all of the ingredients for the salad in a food processor. Pulse 10 times or until the ingredients are finely chopped. Don’t make it a paste. You can chop the ingredients by hand but make sure you chop them as finely as possible.
Make the creamy vegan custard and prep bread: Place all the ingredients for the custard in a blender or a bowl. Blend or whisk until everything is well incorporated. (Expert tip: If whisking by hand, add the cornstarch and other dry ingredients to the bowl first. Drizzle in about a quarter cup of the milk, whisk until everything has mixed and there are no lumps, then add the rest of the milk.) Slice the bread into 20 slices.
Layer the casserole: Coat the bottom of a four- or five-quart baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray. Layer in half the slices of bread (10 slices). You can either overlap them, as I did, or lay them down flat. Spread the olive salad on the bread. If you overlapped the slices, get in there and make sure you cover the entire slice with the salad. If you have some salad left over reserve it to layer it on later. (I didn’t get a photo of the olive salad layered on the bread but if you look at the second photo in the gallery below you will see it peeking out from under the deli slices). Layer on the deli slices. I folded each slice in half and placed it on top of each slice of bread, for a total of three deli slices for every slice of bread. Layer on the cheese. Again, I folded each slice in half and layered it on top of the deli slices. Sprinkle any remaining olive salad over the deli slices. Add a final layer of the remaining 10 slices of bread. Pour the vegan custard over the bread, making sure you soak every slice. It is best to wait at least an hour after this to ensure the custard has soaked into the bread. You can help this process along by placing a similar-sized baking dish on top of the bread to weigh it down.
Bake the casserole: About 15 minutes before you are ready to bake the casserole preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius. Sprinkle the tops of the bread with the vegan mozzarella cheese shreds. Or, if using vegan butter instead of the cheese, melt it and drizzle it over the tops of the bread. Place the casserole in a preheated oven and bake 45 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the bread looks puffy. In the last two minutes of baking turn on the broiler to help the bread turn crispy and the cheese turn golden. Sprinkle the top with more chopped parsley, if you desire. Let the casserole stand 15 minutes before serving.
Freezing and make-ahead instructions
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days in the baking dish wrapped in cling wrap. You can also transfer the casserole to a container and store it. For longer storage, wrap the prepared casserole in freezer-safe wrap and freeze for up to three months. Thaw to room temperature and bake. Leftovers can be frozen in a freezer-safe container, also up to three months. To make this recipe ahead, you can assemble the casserole, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to two days before baking. You can also assemble the casserole, wrap with freezer-safe wrap and freeze. Thaw completely before baking.
Recipe card
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