Meatball Stuffed Sliders Recipe (with Video)

Preparation of Rolls
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Using a knife, cut a hole into the top of each individual Hawaiian roll about the size of a tablespoon.
3. Remove the bread that has been cut out.
4. Make sure to not cut in too deep; there should still be bread remaining at the base of the rolls.
Garlic Butter Preparation
1. To make the garlic butter, in a bowl, combine and mix melted butter, chopped Italian parsley, minced garlic, grated parmesan, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt.
2. Brush the garlic butter on all of the rolls.
3. Place the rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 7-10 minutes or until the rolls are slightly golden brown.
Meatball Preparation
1. To make our meatballs, in a large bowl, add in ground beef, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, lightly beaten egg, and panko bread crumbs.
2. Be sure not to over mix as it will cause the meat to become tough.
3. Take about 1 tablespoon worth of the mixture and roll it into meatballs.
4. I recommend placing the meatballs on a parchment lined tray and refrigerating the meatballs for 15 minutes before cooking.
Cooking the Meatballs
1. In a skillet on medium heat, add in cooking oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, add in meatballs and cook for about 2 minutes on each side to brown the meatballs.
3. Meatballs will finish cooking in marinara sauce in later steps.
4. After browning the meatballs, remove them from the skillet and set aside.
5. Drain the remnant grease from the skillet, only leaving in about 1 tablespoon.
6. Next, reduce the heat to medium-low and add in diced onions, season with a pinch of salt and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
7. Then, add in minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
Sauce Preparation
1. Add in your favorite marinara sauce and mix in with the onions and garlic.
2. Season the sauce with salt & black pepper to taste, slightly turn up the heat and bring to a low simmer.
3. Once the sauce is simmering, add in meatballs.
4. Baste the top of the meatballs with the pasta sauce and cover.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked.
6. Make sure to turn over meatballs periodically.
7. Once done cooking, remove from heat.
Final Steps
1. After cooking the meatballs, I like to remove the meatballs from the skillet and stir the sauce to re-incorporate the oil that may have separated while cooking.
2. If there is excess oil on top of the sauce after cooking, I recommend spooning the oil out.
3. Once done, add the meatballs back to the skillet.
4. Assemble the sliders; for each roll add in about a tablespoon of the marinara sauce from the meatballs, sprinkle in a little mozzarella cheese, and add in 1 meatball.
5. After assembling all of the rolls, sprinkle on mozzarella cheese across the top of each roll and finish it off by sprinkling grated parmesan on top of the mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
7. Sprinkle on top chopped parsley for garnish and enjoy.