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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.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 18 people
Calories 7381.2 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Saucepan Medium-sized, for sautéing and making garlic butter
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl For preparing the meatball mixture
  • 1 Mini Muffin Tin 24-cup, for baking individual meatballs
  • 1 Rimmed Baking Sheet Large enough to hold 18 dinner rolls
  • 1 Small Paring Knife For carefully cutting holes in the dinner rolls

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 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

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Place beef in a large bowl. Add onion-garlic mixture, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, and 1 large handful of fontina cheese, reserving the rest for topping. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix by hand until just combined. Scoop meat mixture into 24 mini muffin cups; meatballs need not be perfectly round.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, about 12 minutes. Leave oven on. Let meatballs cool briefly while you make the garlic butter.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic once butter starts to bubble; stir, then immediately remove from heat. Stir well and set aside.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat foil with remaining olive oil. Transfer rolls, still attached, to the baking sheet. Cut a hole in the top of each roll, about 2/3 of the way down. Brush garlic butter over the insides and outsides of the rolls.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce into each hole. Stuff meatballs into the holes. Top each roll with a spoonful of tomato sauce and remaining fontina cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
  • Continue baking until cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with more parsley. Let rolls sit for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up; transfer to a serving platter. Chef John

Notes

For optimal meatball texture, mix the ground beef mixture until *just* combined; overmixing leads to tough meatballs. A small portion scoop ensures uniform size and even cooking. When preparing the garlic butter, infuse the minced garlic gently in the melted butter, removing from heat immediately to prevent burning, which can turn the flavor bitter. The unique method of stuffing through the top of the rolls requires a sharp paring knife to create a clean, adequately deep cavity without piercing the bottom. Generously brush the garlic butter both inside the cavity and over the exterior of the rolls for maximum flavor saturation. Finally, allowing the finished sliders to rest for 5-10 minutes is crucial for them to firm up, preventing them from falling apart when served.