This Hot Muffaletta Dip will have you craving Mardi Gras and all of the great Cajun celebrations. This time of year is perfect for sharing all of your favorite Cajun recipes. This dip is a crowd pleaser when everyone gathers to get ready for the Mardi Gras festivities.

If you’ve never been around when Mardi Gras is going on; many families will gather in large groups to watch parades or travel together to a local parade. Parties and gatherings are happening in every neighborhood and it is always a great idea to have some great snacks on-hand!

We are out of school for three extra days the week of Mardi Gras, which means we will have an influx of teenagers gathering at our house. They love this dip! I toast a few baguettes and send them off, away from my kitchen! Hawaiian rolls are also a great way to enjoy this Muffaletta dip. There are a lot of great recipes for snacking and teenagers, so take a look around the blog and find some that work great for your family.

You can get super creative with a dip like this. I used to make this dip with olive salad in place of the roasted red peppers and Giardiniera. My kids like it a little less salty, so I started using Giardiniera instead. It tastes great! I prefer the dip with olive salad, myself. The day I made this dip for this post, I didn’t realize I was out of minced garlic, so I used 1 tablespoon of garlic powder instead. You can substitute as well. Give it a try both ways and see what you like best. Let me know what you decide.

You can also make this dip the night before and cover it and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to heat it up. Just follow the directions for cooking after you remove it from the fridge and enjoy! Make your favorite snacks or main course meal when you’re enjoying this dip. We love to have King Cake and Muffaletta dip. It’s a great sweet and salty combination.

Gather your ingredients:

• 1/2 cup green olives (pitted)
• Half cup roasted red pepper
• 1/2 cup Giardiniera
• 1 Tbsp juice from green olives
• 2 green onions (minced)
• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 8 oz salami (diced)
• 4 oz provolone cheese (cubed)
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
• Minced parsley for garnish

Let’s Get Cooking!

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the olives, roasted red peppers, drained Giardiniera, minced garlic and juice from olives in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
• Place the olive mixture in a medium mixing bowl with the cream cheese, provolone cheese, and salami and mix until well combined.
• Scoop the cheese mixture into an oven safe dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.
• Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• Carefully remove the dip from the oven, uncover, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and place back in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top of the dip is golden. The dip should be bubbly and golden on the top.
• Serve warm with bagel chips, pita chips, or baguette.