Muffaletta Skewers

If you’ve followed my main blog - Celebration Generation - or social media for a while, you know that the Muffaletta Sandwich has a special place in my heart.

My husband proposed to me after I made him one, after all!

Haven’t had one in a while, between gluten turning on me, and then having to go low carb.

So, when I was on a bit appetizer skewers kick lately - including finally photographing my Antipasto Skewer Recipe - it occurred to me that I could take the idea of those delicious antipasto skewers, and customize them to be Muffaletta Skewers, instead.

There’s a lot of crossover between a muffaletta sandwich and a traditional antipasto appetizer, after all. Classic antipasto ingredients start out with cured meats, Italian cheeses, olives, etc.

I skipped the mushrooms and artichoke hearts, marinating the cheese and olives in a quick Italian dressing that was based on my Olive Salad Recipe. (The easy antipasto skewers recipe had a marinade based on my Gluten Free Antipasto Pasta Salad)

What I ended up with was a delicious appetizer that’s a perfect addition to all kinds of party or social gathering menus.

Serve it as a gluten free and low carb alternative to the sandwich for the big game, game night, or even bridal showers, for that point.

It’s an easy finger food to serve for Mardi Gras, but also works for birthday parties or summer backyard BBQs - basically the perfect party food!

Let’s get to it...

Ingredients

This recipe uses fairly simple ingredients that should be easy to find in almost any grocery store.

They’re all based on traditional muffaletta ingredients, with some re-imagining needed for format!

Savory Meats

I like to use the 3 traditional meats when making these skewers. Each gets rolled/folded in a different way, to vary the appearance.

Genoa Salami slices
Ham
Mortadella

... and you should be able to find all of these in the deli section of most larger grocery stores.

Cheeses and Olives

I like to use bocconcini- or mini bocconcini (little fresh mozzarella balls), as well as provolone cheese, when gets cut into cubes.

The bocconcini gets marinated along with the olives: Jumbo Green Olives with Pimento, and Pitted black olives, in a mixture of:

Extra virgin olive oil
Dried Oregano
Finely chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
Garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
Ground Pepper
Salt

Optional Ingredients

Pepperoncini peppers can be a fun addition to your skewers, as well - or pieces of Giardiniera.

This is an Italian pickled vegetable mixture, and it’s a component of the Olive Salad that makes a muffaletta sandwich a *muffaletta*.

I can’t handle the lack of uniform shape/size when assembling my skewers, so I skip it.

Also, as a note: if you’re using pepperoncini, I recommend cutting a small hole or slit into them and draining any excess brine before spearing them, or you may end up with messy eating!

Wooden Skewers

Finally, you’ll need some skewers to thread all of those delicious ingredients onto!

I like to use bamboo skewers, rather than metal skewers for appetizer skewers. They look better and are more comfortable to eat with, IMHO.

For this particular recipe, I like to use 8 inch Bamboo Skewers, which are the perfect length for this amount of ingredients.

How to Make Muffaletta Skewers

The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through.

Marinated Bocconcini & Olives

Whisk together the olive oil, oregano, parsley, and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain mini bocconcini and olives, blot lightly with paper towels. Add cheese and olives to the marinade, toss gently to coat everything.

Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Note: If olive oil solidifies, let the bowl of marinated ingredients come to room temperature before taking the other ingredients out of the fridge to be threaded onto the skewers.

Assembly

Use a sharp knife to cut the Provolone cheese into 14 cubes.

Cut Mortadella and ham slices in half, fold and/or roll each half into bite sized pieces.

Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap (or transfer to an airtight container) and chill until ready to serve.

Best when used within 2 days of assembling.

More Low Carb Skewer Recipes!

Looking for more excuses to serve low carb / keto food on a stick? Here are some fun ideas for you!

Antipasto Skewers
Berry Skewers with Keto Mojito Cheesecake Dip
Fajita Chicken Kebabs
Greek Chicken Souvlaki
Greek Salad Skewers
Jambalaya Skewers (Skip the rice!)

Share the Love!

Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @CelebrationGen. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes to a board!

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