Meatball Sliders

Sliders, also known as “bar burgers”, are not only easier to eat than a full sized burger but they are mysteriously better tasting too. Since 1921 White Castle has been making those tasty little square hamburgers by the millions and they were arguable the first sliders. Many famous chefs now feature sliders on the menu of their new upscale hamburger restaurants – they are even showing up at weddings. Well after 90 years I thought it was time to converge the White Castle hamburger with the Italian meatball sub into an upscale slider that you would be proud to serve to your guests instead of the same old burgers. These sliders are just the right size – you can have more than one and top each one differently. Serve them with a large garden salad, a cold Peroni and you have a meal.

Makes 16 Sliders

Ingredients

4 Slices of White Bread (chopped) *

½ Tsp Garlic Powder

½ Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Dried Parsley

¼ Tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 TBS Grated Italian Cheese

2 Lg. Eggs

2 TBS of water

1 lb. Ground Meatloaf Mix or Ground Round *

16 3 inch buns *

Optional Toppings

1 C of your favorite Tomato Sauce

Shredded Mozzarella
1 tsp Pesto
1/4 C Mayonnaise

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place the bread into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it forms small crumbs. Place the breadcrumbs through the water into a large bowl and mix until a paste forms. Add the meat and lightly mix until incorporated.  Do not over mix or your meat balls will become tough.  Use a ¼ inch ice cream scoop to measure out the meatballs. Round out your meat balls by rolling them between your hands and place them on a cooling rack placed inside a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides). If you measure carefully you will get up to 16 meatballs.

Bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F on an instant read thermometer.

Split the buns, add a cooked meatball and your desired topping.

Toppings *

These sliders are great just by themselves but you can enhance the flavor with one of the following toppings:

1 – Marinara Sauce

2 – Shredded Mozzarella

3 – Pesto Mayonnaise (mix ¼ C Mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon pesto)

* Pronto Substitutes

White Bread – Use a good quality white bread such as Arnold Country White.

Ground Meatloaf Mix – Many grocery stores now sell a ground meat mixture that contains beef, pork and either lamb or veal. This really enhances the taste of the meatballs but you can easily substitute ground round.

Slider Buns - Depending on where you shop will determine what kind of three inch soft buns you will be able to find. I used frozen yeast dinner buns that were just the right size. I coated the top with olive oil and then sprinkled on some grated Italian Cheese. I then baked them according to the package directions.

To print this recipe, go to Meatball Sliders