Meatball Sliders

Submitted by Chef mariajane

"These mini sandwiches are a buffet favorite, and guests will never know just how simple they are to make. Prepare the sauce and meatballs days before your next gathering, and store them in the freezer. For the party, all you have to do is defrost , heat and assemble the sandwiches. Your guests will love them and so will you!!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 40 sliders

ingredients

• SAUCE

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes with juice, pureed

• MEATBALLS

• 3 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs (6 slices sandwich bread)
• 2⁄3 cup evaporated milk (Carnation)
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 eggs
• 20 small dinner rolls, split and cut in half horizontally

directions

1. SAUCE:

2. Heat oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add next 5 ingredients and cook gently for 5-8 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 30 minutes.

3. MEATBALLS:

4. While the sauce is cooking, stir together breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. Add meat, cheese, mustard, eggs. Blend until combined. Shape into 40 balls (about the size of golf balls). Gently add meatballs to thickened sauce. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour, or until meatballs are cooked. Stir occasionally to coat with sauce.

5. ASSEMBLY:

6. Assemble sliders with a meatball and 1 tablespoons sauce per bun, securing each with a pick.
7. TIPS: To make fresh breadcrumbs, place bread in a food processor or blender. Pulse on/off until you have crumbs. Do not overprocess.
8. You can also serve the sauce and meatballs with pasta as a main course with rice or pasta.

Reviews

[Chef Shadows]

Thanks for the recipe. We found it just fair, needed something more for our tastes. Still a good recipe. Thanks Shadows