These 10-ingredient Meatball Sliders are a crowd-winning appetizer or main course that come together so easily you'll want to make them for every party.
When it comes to throwing a party for a crowd or making dinner in under an hour, these meatball sliders are one of our go-to recipes. Everyone loves them, they will be gone almost instantly.
We give you all the tips to make our easiest 6 ingredient baked beef meatballs that can be easily assembled in advance. Then you layer them up onto sweet Hawaiian slider rolls with lots of cheese and marinara sauce for a bite that’s too delicious.
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One thing about meatball sandwiches is that the meatballs always fall out, but we’ve solved this problem. We’ll give you our secret tip of how to cut the meatballs in half so they stay sandwiched inside the bread perfectly.
If you love a comforting appetizer or dinner recipe with similar Italian flavors, try our easy Baked Ravioli or Pizza Crescent Rolls. Both are big hits with family and friends.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easy baked beef meatballs. We’ve made these sliders using our easiest meatball recipe with 6 ingredients. You’ll want to bookmark these meatballs because they are so delicious and great to prep in advance.
- Make-ahead dinner or appetizer. Make the beef meatballs ahead of time and even assemble the sliders up to an hour in advance of a party and keep in the fridge. Then just bake and serve!
- Customize to your liking. Add chili flakes for spice, use other shredded cheeses, add your favorite Italian herbs and spices, these sliders are so easy to customize. If you're short on time, you can also opt for pre-made meatballs.
Laura Ashley’s Pro Tip: We love to keep a batch of these easy beef meatballs in our freezer at all times. They are the perfect dinner on a busy evening when you need to make a meal quick!
Ingredients
Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card
Homemade Meatballs
- Ground beef: The base of the meatballs, use whatever fat ratio you like. I prefer 80/20.
- Panko breadcrumbs or crushed crackers: Adds tenderness to the meat mixture.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Seasons the beef perfectly.
- Garlic powder or fresh garlic cloves: Gives each bite that wonderful garlic flavor.
- Milk: Keeps the meatballs moist with a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Large egg: Binds the beef mixture together.
Sliders
- King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Pre-Sliced Slider Buns: This bread is slightly sweet and so pillowy soft, it’s truly delicious.
- Marinara sauce: The sauce used to cook the meatballs.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Adds the gooey, cheesy quality to each bite.
- Melted butter: The fat used to toast the buns.
- Garlic powder or fresh garlic clove: Seasons the top of the buns.
- Dried Italian seasoning: Adds nice fresh herb flavor to the toasted buns in each bite.
Tools You'll Need
- 9”x9” Baking Dish
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula
- Handheld Cheese Grater (optional)
- Rotary Cheese Grater (optional)
- Half Size or 12"x17" Sheet Pan
- Aluminum Foil
How to Make Meatball Sliders
Homemade Meatballs
- In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, milk, egg, Italian seasoning, and seasoning salt or salt and black pepper. Mix just until combined.
- Roll the mixture into 2-inch balls and place in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet pan.
- Bake at 350°F 18-20 minutes or until golden brown with an internal temperature of 160°F reached. They will reach the recommended 165°F once assembled and baked with the sliders. If baking to consume immediately, bake 22-24 minutes for 165°F to be reached.
Sliders
- Slice the baked meatballs in half and place in a medium bowl. Pour marinara sauce on top, and gently toss until evenly coated.
- Assemble the sliders in a 9x9-inch baking dish starting with the bottom halves of the rolls, followed by half of the mozzarella, then the coated meatballs and sauce.
- Add the remaining mozzarella cheese, then the tops of the slider buns.
- In a small bowl, mix melted butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Brush the mixture over the tops of the rolls.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the tops of the rolls are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly. If desired, garnish with snipped fresh basil or parsley. Serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture. This will lead to tough meatballs, just gently mix before scooping and baking.
- Save time with Frozen Meatballs. Don't have time to make meatballs from scratch? No problem! You can use your favorite frozen meatballs instead. Beef, pork, chicken, turkey meatballs or even plant-based meatballs, it's up to you. Just bake them a couple minutes below the package directions as they'll finish the cook time once the sliders are assembled and baked.
- Cut the meatballs in half for easy eating. We’ve found the solution to meatballs falling out of a meatball sandwich! Simply cut them in half before layering on the bread. This makes them bite-sized and keeps them from falling out of the slider layers.
- Be sure to cover the sliders with foil during the first part of baking. This prevents the bread from toasting and drying out too much. You’ll just want to toast the bread at the end of baking right before serving.
- Use your favorite jarred sauce. We call for marinara sauce, but you can use whatever jarred red sauce you love from the store for ease. Pizza sauce works great as well!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. We recommend you store the meatballs separately from the bread and then assemble a slider and toast in the oven until the cheese is melted and bread is warmed before eating again.
You can freeze any leftover meatballs for up to 2 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours and reheat on the stove until completely warmed through.
FAQs
Grated mozzarella or thinly sliced provolone both work great for this sliders recipe.
Yes! Just bake them a couple minutes less the package directions as they'll finish the cook time once the sliders are assembled and baked.
Yes, you can make the meatballs a day in advance and assemble the sliders prior to baking up to an hour beforehand.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
Meatball Sliders
Ingredients
Homemade Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs or crushed crackers
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt or salt and black pepper
Sliders
- 10 ounce package King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Pre-Sliced Slider Buns
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 minced garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Instructions
Homemade Meatballs
- In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, milk, egg, Italian seasoning, and seasoning salt or salt and black pepper. Mix just until combined.
- Roll the mixture into 2-inch balls and place in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet pan.
- Bake at 350°F 18-20 minutes or until golden brown with an internal temperature of 160°F reached. They will reach the recommended 165°F once assembled and baked with the sliders. If baking to consume immediately, bake 22-24 minutes for 165°F to be reached.
Sliders
- Slice the baked meatballs in half and place in a medium bowl. Pour marinara sauce on top, and gently toss until evenly coated.
- Assemble the sliders in a 9x9-inch baking dish starting with the bottom halves of the rolls, followed by half of the mozzarella, then the coated meatballs and sauce.
- Add the remaining mozzarella cheese, then the tops of the slider buns.
- In a small bowl, mix melted butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Brush the mixture over the tops of the rolls.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the tops of the rolls are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool slightly. If desired, garnish with snipped fresh basil or parsley. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Storage:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. We recommend you store the meatballs separately from the bread and then assemble a slider and toast in the oven until the cheese is melted and bread is warmed before eating again. You can freeze any leftover meatballs for up to 2 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours and reheat on the stove until completely warmed through.Expert Tips
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture. This will lead to tough meatballs, just gently mix before scooping and baking.
- Save time with Frozen Meatballs. Don't have time to make meatballs from scratch? No problem! You can use your favorite frozen meatballs instead. Beef, pork, chicken, turkey meatballs or even plant-based meatballs, it's up to you. Just bake them a couple minutes below the package directions as they'll finish the cook time once the sliders are assembled and baked.
- Cut the meatballs in half for easy eating. We’ve found the solution to meatballs falling out of a meatball sandwich! Simply cut them in half before layering on the bread. This makes them bite-sized and keeps them from falling out of the slider layers.
- Be sure to cover the sliders with foil during the first part of baking. This prevents the bread from toasting and drying out too much. You’ll just want to toast the bread at the end of baking right before serving.
- Use your favorite jarred sauce. We call for marinara sauce, but you can use whatever jarred red sauce you love from the store for ease. Pizza sauce works great as well!
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