RecipeMaster

Meatball-Stuffed Garlic Bread Sliders

These fun meatball sliders are sure to be a winner on your Super Bowl snack table. The real secret to these beauties is placing the meatball in through the top of the roll, versus splitting the bread. Maybe it's the symmetry, or center of gravity, that makes these just feel right in your hand. If you're short on time, using pre-made meatballs will do.

Submitted by John Mitzewich

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Servings: 18

Ingredients

  • *2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • *1 yellow onion, diced
  • *5 cloves garlic, minced, divided
  • *1 pound ground beef
  • *2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
  • *1 large egg
  • *¼ cup plain bread crumbs
  • *1 cup shredded fontina cheese, divided
  • *2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • *freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • *1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • *3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • *18 dinner rolls
  • *2 cups spicy tomato sauce
  • *2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

Step 1

Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).

Step 2

Sauté the onion and two minced garlic cloves in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until the onion softens, which should take about five minutes.

Step 3

Combine the beef, onion mixture, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs, and a portion of the fontina cheese in a large mixing bowl, saving some cheese for later. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne, then blend by hand until just combined. Distribute the mixture into 24 mini muffin wells; it is not necessary for the meatballs to be perfectly round.

Step 4

Bake the meatballs in the preheated oven for around 12 minutes, or until the centers are no longer pink. Keep the oven on. Allow the meatballs to cool slightly while preparing the garlic butter.

Step 5

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, stir in the rest of the minced garlic, take it off the heat right away, mix thoroughly, and put it aside.

Step 6

Cover a baking sheet with foil and grease it with the remaining olive oil. Place the rolls on the sheet while still connected. Carve an opening into the top of each roll, going about two-thirds of the way down. Coat the inside and outside of the rolls with the garlic butter.

Step 7

Toast the rolls for approximately 8 minutes until they reach a golden color. Pour roughly a tablespoon of tomato sauce into each opening. Push a meatball into each hole. Add a spoonful of sauce and the remaining fontina cheese to each, then finish with a dusting of Parmesan.

Step 8

Return to the oven until the cheese has melted, which takes about 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley. Give the rolls 5 to 10 minutes to set before moving them to a platter.