One bite of this Hawaiian roll meatball sliders recipe and you’ll be hooked! These baked meatball sliders feature layers of Hawaiian sweet rolls, juicy meatballs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese for the cheesiest mini meatball subs that the whole family will love. Sausage and peppers in the oven have similar flavors going on and are another delicious Italian sandwich recipe to try.
If you like meatball sliders for party (who doesn’t?!) be sure to try my chicken Parmesan sliders, buffalo chicken sliders, salmon sliders, deli turkey sliders, and ham and cheese sliders next.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of Contents
- What You’ll Love About Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders
- Meatball Sliders Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Meatball Sliders
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage Instructions
- How to Serve Meatball Sliders to the Whole Family
- What to Serve with Mini Meatball Sliders
- More Easy Sandwich Recipes
- It’s 5pm. Are you still wondering what’s for dinner?
- Helpful Tools to Make Meatball Sub Sliders
What You’ll Love About Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders
- Loaded with classic Italian flavors
- Easy to make
- Made with simple ingredients
- Perfect for parties or appetizers
- Family-friendly
Meatball Sliders Recipe Ingredients
These Italian meatball sliders are made with just a few simple ingredients:
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – Use the classic, dinner roll size, not the buns.
- Butter
- Garlic salt
- Meatballs – Using Italian-seasoned store-bought meatballs is an amazing shortcut, but you can of course, use your own homemade 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 or an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.
- Garnish – Optional, but you can garnish with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, fresh parsley or fresh basil.
TIP: Add some veggies to these sliders by add a layer of sautéed peppers and onions or roasted grape tomatoes.
How to Make Meatball Sliders
Let’s make some baked meatball sliders!
- Prep meatballs. Cook meatballs according to package instructions. You can bake or saute in a skillet.
- Prep Hawaiian buns. Carefully slice buns in half lengthwise so that you can peel the top of the rolls off.
- Mix garlic butter. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and garlic salt.
- Assemble meatball sliders. Layer bottom half of buns in a prepared pan lined with foil and top each section of bun with one meatball. Top with marinara sauce and layer with cheese slices so they cover the whole section.
- Bake sliders. Top with top buns and brush with garlic butter. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown and cheese has melted.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 meatball sliders with turkey meatballs?
Yes, you can really use any meatballs in these sliders. Larger meatballs work better than smaller ones so that you can use one meatball per slider.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Absolutely! Use your favorite vegetarian meatballs in place of the Italian meatballs used here.
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.
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. Protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sodium, cholesterol etc. can all be found in the recipe card.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover sliders 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.
Can you freeze sliders?
Yes, you can also freeze sliders for 2-3 months.
How to Serve Meatball 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 you aren’t sure if your kids will like these meatball parmesan sliders, be sure to serve them with a side or two that you know they will eat.
You could also cut off a row of slider buns so that you can serve everything separately.
All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.
What to Serve with Mini Meatball Sliders
Wondering about what goes with meatball sliders? Here are a few veggie sides to try:
- Raw Veggies and Dill Veggie Dip
- 5-Minute Chickpea Chopped Salad
- Lemon Arugula Salad
- Kale Apple Slaw
- Napa Cabbage Coleslaw
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Fresh fruit
More Easy Sandwich Recipes
If you like these cheesy meatball sliders, you might also like some of these other easy sandwich recipes:
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- BEST Tomato Toast
- Reuben Sandwich
- Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Open Face Meatball Subs
- Chicken Shawarma Wraps
It’s 5pm. Are you still wondering what’s for dinner?
Menu Plans by My Everyday Table can help you out.
The plan addresses three major issues when it comes to weeknight dinners: having a plan, time, and one family meal.
You’ll save time, save money, waste less food, and feel calm when 5pm hits because your dinner is already planned.
Helpful Tools to Make Meatball Sub Sliders
- Ceramic Baking Dish – Bake and serve your meatball sliders with tomato sauce in this baking dish.
- Glass Storage Containers – Store any leftover Hawaiian roll meatball sliders in these glass containers.
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
The best easy + cheesy Hawaiian roll meatball sliders recipe! These mini baked meatball sliders are perfect for parties or game day.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Hawaiian 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 marinara sauce and 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.
Keywords: Hawaiian roll meatball sliders, meatball sliders, meatball sliders recipe, baked meatball sliders, mini meatball subs
Photo Credit: All photos in this post were take by Loren at Sweet Rustic Bakes
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Jess
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
★★★
Emily
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!
Susan
Great with vegetarian meatballs too! It’s a hearty meal or party food!
★★★★★
Emily
Good to know, I need to try this!
Tut Gramling
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!
★★★★★
Rhonda Froelich
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.