Cheesy Meatball Sliders
One bite of these cheesy meatball sliders and you’ll be hooked! With layers of sweet Hawaiian rolls, savory and juicy meatballs, tomato sauce, melty Provolone cheese, and a sprinkle of garlic salt. Each bite has incredible flavor! Made with simple ingredients and easy prep, these are perfect for easy dinners or game day.
Layers of juicy meatballs, melty cheese, and saucy tomato sauce. 🧆🧀🍅
I first published these sliders more than five years ago, but recently revamped the recipe and method so that we don’t end up with any soggy buns.
We’re essentially making mini meatball subs, with a layer of cheese at the bottom to add a layer in between the meatball and bun. Then we’re adding another layer of cheese on top to get things nice and melty. They’re…
🍅 Seriously delicious: Each bite has sweet rolls, juicy meatballs, melty cheese, and tangy marinara sauce.
🥖 Made with simple ingredients: These sliders take advantage of premade meatballs to keep things easy, and then it’s just a few basic ingredients that you can find anywhere.
🕐 Ready in 30 minutes: Quick enough for last-minute entertaining but impressive enough for planned parties.
🎉 Perfect party size: Slider format makes them ideal for mingling and eating without utensils required – just be sure to serve them with napkins! They can be saucy!
👥 Crowd-pleasing: Everyone loves these classic Italian flavors that hit on sweet, savory, and salty notes.
If you love sliders as much as we do, give my chicken Parmesan sliders, buffalo chicken sliders, salmon sliders, or deli turkey sliders a try next time.
Made these for a football game and they were gone immediately! Will make again. –Maria
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples for these cheesy meatball sliders: crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, frozen meatballs, Hawaiian-style sweet rolls, sliced Provolone, and garlic salt.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: 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.
- Variations: Feel free to switch up the meatballs. Try these sliders with chicken meatballs or vegetarian meatballs.
- Additions: Add in spice with red pepper flakes, or adding in some giardinara.
- Weeknight Dinners: For more family-friendly dinner ideas, check out my weeknight dinner playbook with recipes and weekly meal plans.
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 these meatball sliders! Hawaiian rolls, saucy meatballs, and melty cheese. Yum! (New and improved recipe!)
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 12 frozen Italian meatballs (about 1 1/2 – 2 inches in size)
- 12 oz. Hawaiian-style sweet rolls
- ~4 oz. Provolone cheese slices
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- While the oven is preheating, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, and stir to combine. Add in meatballs and cook according to package instructions, until meatballs are cooked through and hot.
- Prep slider buns. Cut the middle third of the bun out, forming four rows of openings for the slider fillings. Place buns on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Place half or third slices of cheese in the bottom of the buns so they can cradle the meatballs and help prevent the bun from getting too soggy. Place a meatball in each bun. Top with more slices of cheese to cover the meatballs.
- Sprinkle garlic salt and bake for 15-18 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Storage: These are best served immediately. Store leftover meatballs and sauce separately for up to 3 days and reheat before assembling fresh sliders.
- Ingredient notes: 80/20 ground beef provides the best flavor balance, but 85/15 works if you prefer leaner options.
- Prep ahead: Make meatballs up to 1 day ahead and reheat in sauce before assembling sliders.
- Helpful tools: A cookie scoop helps make uniform meatball sizes, and a rimmed baking sheet prevents overflow.
- Serve with: Chips, pickle spears, pasta salad, or as part of a larger game day spread with wings.
Serving Suggestions
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
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Fresh fruit
FAQs
Absolutely! Use your favorite vegetarian premade meatballs in place of the Italian meatballs used here; it’s an easy swap to make.
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
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.
I halved the recipe to serve 2 of us (3 sliders each). Half a cup of sauce was perfect, so I’d probably only use 1 cup if I make the whole recipe. Thinking of trying it with chicken meatballs to cut fat/calories even more. Really yummy. Making them again soon!