Provolone Meatball Sliders Food

MINI MEATBALL SLIDERS FOR A PARTY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the beef and pork in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, breadcrumbs, pesto, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and half the Parmesan. Gently mix together to incorporate. Scoop out 24 heaping tablespoons meatball mix (each just shy of 1 1/2 tablespoons). Roll the mounds into round meatballs between your palms.
• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the olive oil and heat until shimmering. Carefully add the meatballs to the skillet and fry until crispy and brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and discard any remaining oil.
• Halve the potato buns horizontally without separating the buns from each other. Put the bottom buns on the prepared baking sheet and spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce on top. Line up the meatballs on top of the sauce, so that each bun will have its own meatball. Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the meatballs. Sprinkle with the basil. Lay the sliced provolone evenly over the meatballs. Place the top buns over the cheese.
• Mix the melted butter and the garlic salt together. Generously brush over the top buns. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan evenly over the butter mixture.
• Bake until the provolone melts and the topping turns golden brown, about 15 minutes. Slice into individual sliders and serve immediately.

MEATBALL-STUFFED GARLIC BREAD SLIDERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
• Place beef in a large bowl. Add onion-garlic mixture, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, and 1 large handful of fontina cheese, reserving the rest for topping. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix by hand until just combined. Scoop meat mixture into 24 mini muffin cups; meatballs need not be perfectly round.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the centers, about 12 minutes. Leave oven on. Let meatballs cool briefly while you make the garlic butter.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic once butter starts to bubble; stir, then immediately remove from heat. Stir well and set aside.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; coat foil with remaining olive oil. Transfer rolls, still attached, to the baking sheet. Cut a hole in the top of each roll, about 2/3 of the way down. Brush garlic butter over the insides and outsides of the rolls.
• Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Pour about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce into each hole. Stuff meatballs into the holes. Top each roll with a spoonful of tomato sauce and remaining fontina cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
• Continue baking until cheese is melted, 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with more parsley. Let rolls sit for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up; transfer to a serving platter.

PROVOLONE MEATBALL SLIDERS

Steps:

• Combine ground meats with egg, BelGioioso Romano, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in mixing bowl. Blend in breadcrumbs. Slowly add water, mixing until moist. Shape meatball mixture into 2-ounce patties. Refrigerate patties until ready to cook.
• Grill or pan-grill meatball burgers over medium heat on lightly oiled grill. Cook thoroughly on each side. Add 1 slice of cheese, halved to fit, atop each burger. Cook 1 minute longer to melt cheese. Toast bread, cut side down on grill. Serve each cheeseburger with 2 tablespoons grilled onions and 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes.

MIGHTY MEATBALL SLIDERS

Steps:

• For the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and onions and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool. Transfer the mixture to a blender and add the tomato puree. Blend until smooth.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until the garlic is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pot. Carefully pour the tomato sauce into the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
• For the meatballs: In same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic and onions. Saute 5 minutes, and then remove from the heat to cool.
• In a bowl, combine the milk and breadcrumbs and stir until the crumbs look like wet sand. Add a little more milk if it looks too dry.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground meats, sausage, parsley, basil, eggs, some salt and pepper, the cooked onion-garlic mixture and the breadcrumbs. Stir with your hands until just mixed, and then form 24 small meatballs. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet or plate.
• Reheat the large skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot, add half the meatballs and cook until browned on all sides, turning a few times during cooking, about 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. Transfer all the meatballs to the simmering tomato sauce and cook for a few minutes, until cooked through.
• To serve, place 2 meatballs on each slider roll and spoon some sauce on top. Top the meatballs with a slice of cheese and serve. You may have leftover sauce.
• This recipe was created by a contestant during a cooking competition. The Food Network Kitchens have not tested it for home use, therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.