Cheesy Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders Recipe
One bite of this cheesy meatball sliders recipe and you’ll be hooked! With layers of sweet rolls, savory and juicy meatballs, marinara sauce, melty mozzarella cheese, and a garlic bread butter topping, each bite has incredible flavors. My Hawaiian roll meatball sliders are perfect for weeknight dinners (paired with a salad or veggie) or a great appetizer as part of a game day spread with other fun football foods (chili cheese dip)!
If you love sliders as much as we do, be sure to try chicken Parmesan sliders, buffalo chicken sliders, salmon sliders, or deli turkey sliders next time.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
What You’ll Love About Meatball Sliders
- Loaded with classic Italian flavors
- Easy to make
- Made with simple ingredients
- Simple recipe, just 5 minutes to prep
- Perfect for parties, an easy dinners, or the big game
- Family-friendly
Ingredients
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – Use the classic, dinner roll size, not the buns. The sweet flavor of the buns with the savory meatball and cheese flavors is a delicious combo. King’s Hawaiian rolls are found at many stores, but you can use your favorite brand.
- Butter
- Garlic salt
- Meatballs – Using Italian-seasoned store-bought meatballs is an amazing shortcut, but you can of course, make your own meatballs. You can use ground beef, pork, turkey, or a mixture.
- Marinara sauce – Use an Italian-seasoned, basic marinara sauce. Again, use store-bought for a shortcut or homemade if you prefer.
- Mozzarella cheese – Use sliced mozzarella cheese. You can also use provolone, fontina, or any cheese that melts well. Add an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.
- Garnish – Optional, but you can garnish with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, fresh parsley or fresh basil.
- Veggies – Want to add some veggies to your sliders? Add a layer of sautéed peppers and onions or roasted grape tomatoes.
How to Make Meatball Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
This is an overview of how to make meatball sliders, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
FAQs
What kind of sauce should I use for meatball sliders?
Use a tomato-based marinara sauce. You can use your favorite sauce or your own homemade marinara sauce.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Absolutely! Use your favorite vegetarian premade meatballs in place of the Italian meatballs used here, it’s an easy swap to make.
How long to cook meatball sliders in oven?
These meatball sliders Hawaiian rolls will take about 13-16 minutes in a 375 degree F oven. You want them golden brown and a little crispy.
How many calories are in a meatball slider?
The full nutrition stats can be found below the recipe and will vary as they are just an estimate but each meatball slider has about 350 calories.
How to keep meatball sliders from getting soggy?
There are a few ways to prevent your sliders from getting soggy. You can put a layer of cheese below the meatballs to prevent the bottom buns from getting too soggy and you can also adjust the marinara sauce a bit (using less) so that it isn’t too saucy.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover sliders in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, but they are best right out of the oven so they don’t get soggy.
How to reheat meatball sliders
For best results, reheat sliders in a 350 degree F oven until hot througout.
What to Serve with Easy Meatball Sliders
Wondering about what to serve with sliders? Here are a few side dish ideas:
- Raw Veggies and Dill Veggie Dip
- Frozen Broccoli
- Lemony Kale Salad
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Fresh fruit
How to Feed Sliders to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
If your kids are still not super excited about sandwiches (normal!), you could leave a row of slider buns out and serve the components deconstructed. Be sure to serve the slider recipe with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t do the buns.
More Easy Sandwiches
If you like this meatball sliders recipe, you might also like some of these other sandwich recipes:
Print
Easy Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
You’ll love the layers in this meatball sliders recipe! Hawaiian rolls, savory meatballs, marinara, lots of cheese, and garlic butter sauce.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Hawaiian-style sweet rolls
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 16 oz. frozen Italian meatballs (larger size works well so there is one per slider)
- 1–2 cups marinara sauce*
- 6 slices mozzarella cheese slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9×13 pan with foil.
- Prepare meatballs according to package instructions. (Can be done any way, they just need to be cooked and hot.)
- Keeping the buns intact, cut Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise carefully so they stay together.
- In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and garlic salt.
- Place one meatball onto each bun section of the sweet rolls.
- Top with a dollop of marinara sauce.
- Layer with cheese slices so they cover the whole bottom section.
- Top with top bun section and brush with garlic butter.
- Bake sliders for 13-16 minutes, or until cheese is melted and buns are golden brown.
Notes
- See suggestions above for ingredient swaps and variations.
- *Use 1-2 cups of marinara, depending on how saucy you want them. Some readers have found 2 cups (as originally written) too much so use your best judgement.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Tried these out for a party and the presentation was beautiful but I was embarrassed that they were very soggy. I think 2 cups of marinara was too much. I would maybe try just covering the meatball next time. Deep down I felt like 2 cups was too much,.. but I wanted to follow recipe. Anyway, I would make again but just maybe one cup marinara and less butter just to make things less soggy. Thank you
So sorry to hear this Jess! I’ll add a note in the recipe that if you prefer a less saucy slider, to use 1 cup. Thanks for sharing your feedback and tip!
Great with vegetarian meatballs too! It’s a hearty meal or party food!
Good to know, I need to try this!
They were SO good! I changed the recipe slightly to use what was already in my kitchen. The taste was not compromised; I used brioche rolls and grated mozzarella, and when I make it again, which I will, I’ll buy the sliced mozzarella so the cheese covers the entire slider like Emily recommends. Five of the 6 were eaten by two of us, that’s how good they are!
Ok. My variant uses a whole jar of sauce. And very little waste. I used frozen meatballs. Cooked them according to package directions in a traditional spaghetti sauce. Used sliced provolone but shredded mozz. I also cut my meatballs in half before placing in the oven for more meat to roll ratio. I also placed the rolls with provolone in the oven for probably 8? Minutes prior to putting the meatballs and sauce. Topped with mozz. Topped with roll tops and brushed with garlic butter. Cooked another 13-15 min watching the whole time. So In a nutshell. Sliced roll layer with provolone. Bake just bottoms and cheese for 8-10 minutes. Pull. Latter meat and sauce. Top with shredded mozz. Top of rolls on. Brish with garlic butter. Cook 13-15. Enjoy hot.
Quick and easy recipe that everybody loves. After you have made it once you’ll want to make it a regular recipe for your family!
Thank you Laura! So glad you all enjoy it!
We made these for Super Bowl. Everyone LOVED them!
Yay! Thanks Lynn!
Made these for a football game and they were gone immediately! Will make again.