For more delicious meatball recipes, try my Swedish Meatballs, Baked Greek Feta Meatballs, Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs, and these delicious Grape Jelly Meatballs. Made with flavorful and juicy meatballs in a rich tomato sauce with pepperoni and plenty of gooey cheese inside Hawaiian sweet rolls, these sliders are topped with a delicious butter and parmesan glaze. It’s the perfect snack for game day or as part of your party table spread. Meatball Sliders are also great for a fun weeknight dinner, served with salads or veggies to make a complete meal that your whole family will go crazy over. My husband loves meatball subs and these little sandwiches are just as good with all the flavor in a smaller hand held package! If you love this slider recipe, you’ll also love my Chicken Parmesan Sliders, Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders, or my Roast Beef Sliders!
Why We Love This Recipe
We’ll be using all fresh ingredients for the best flavor here. Ready in just 30 minutes, this easy appetizer is perfect for any party! You can always sub premade meatballs and store bought marinara sauce if you need a shortcut version!
Meatball Slider Ingredients
Beef – I like to use lean ground beef (85/15) for the best results. Seasoning – Use a combination of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, freshly minced garlic, and dried parsley flakes will pack these meatballs with a great savory flavor. You’ll also need dried basil and red pepper flakes for the sauce. Egg – To bind the meat mixture and breadcrumbs together. Breadcrumbs – Add a bit more substance to the meatballs. Cheese – Parmesan cheese mixes well with the meatball mixture and adds a great cheesy flavor. You will also layer provolone or mozzarella cheese with the meatballs to create a stretchy, cheesy layer in these sliders. Oil – I use olive oil, but any kind of neutral-flavored cooking oil will work well here, like canola oil or vegetable oil, for cooking the pepperoni and garlic. Pepperoni – Use your favorite kind of pepperoni to add a meaty, spicy flavor to the sauce. Tomatoes – A can of crushed tomatoes will be the base of our marinara sauce. Rolls – I love using King’s Hawaiian rolls to make sliders, but this recipe will work with any kind of slider bun or dinner rolls. Butter – Use salted butter to enhance the flavors. Garnish – Use some more grated parmesan cheese with chopped fresh parsley or chives to garnish the sliders for extra flavor.
How to Make Meatball Sliders
Tips for Success
If you like your meatballs a little softer, add 2 Tablespoons of water to your dried breadcrumbs and mix before adding them to the ground beef. To make the pepperoni easier to chop, place it in the refrigerator to chill it beforehand (if you have an unopened package that hasn’t been refrigerated yet). If you have larger buns (such as Aunt Millie’s) or slider rolls, you can make your meatballs larger by dividing the meat into 12 balls and stuffing each with a cube of mozzarella or provolone cheese like my Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs. A decadent amount of cheese, but oh so delicious! Don’t overbake the meatballs. Overbaking them can result in a dried-out, hard meatball. They should be cooked to an internal temperature of about 160°F. The best way to monitor this is to test them with a digital meat thermometer (affiliate link). After the sliders are assembled, they will have more baking time in the oven.
Substitutions and Variations
One small, grated onion (or half of a medium to large onion) may be used in place of the onion powder. Dried Italian seasoning can be used instead of the dried basil in the pepperoni sauce. 1½ cups of your favorite jarred marinara or pasta sauce may be used instead of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. We still recommend starting the sauce with the pepperoni and adding the Parmesan cheese for a super yummy sauce. Premade meatballs from the meat counter at your local grocery store are also a great substitution in this recipe if you don’t want to make homemade ones. We prefer fresh meatballs instead of frozen ones because the size is similar to the meatball recipe above. However, using frozen meatballs is also an option. Follow the baking instructions on the package, and since frozen meatballs are usually smaller, you may need to adjust how many meatballs go on each slider bun. Use a different meat to change the flavor of these sliders. Use ground turkey or ground chicken for a lean protein option or ground pork for a pork flavor.
More Amazing Appetizer Recipes
Jalapeno Popper Dip Baked Green Feta Fries Tomato Basil Bruschetta Crispy Baked Potato Wedges Crispy Loaded Potato Skins Jalapeno Popper Pigs in Blankets Southern Fried Okra
Homemade Coleslaw Summer Fruit Salad Cold Broccoli Salad with Bacon Greek Potato Salad Italian Pasta Salad Homemade French Fries BBQ Potato Wedges Crispy Baked Sweet Potao Fries
St. Louis Toasted Ravioli
Homemade Stromboli
Mozzarella Sticks Recipe
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