Pull Apart Meatball Sliders are a fun way to make meatball subs for a crowd! Garlic bread slider buns stuffed with cheese and meatballs for the perfect bite.
Pull Apart Meatball Sliders Recipe
Growing up I always LOVED meatball subs. They are saucy, cheesy and warm the soul! The only thing I don't like is how messy they can get during get togethers, movie nights, holiday gatherings and game day celebrations.
In comes pull apart meatball sub sliders. Image all the great flavors of a classic meatball sub but in a 2-3 bite mini slider form... how fun! No need to worry about messy subs. These are a perfect finger food for your next get together and a great family dinner!
If you love meatballs subs as much as I do this isn't the only variation I have! Check out my fun and easy recipes for Meatball Subs on a Stick and Meatball Sub Cups. If you love sliders try out my Jalapeno Bacon Ranch Sliders, and Big Mac Sliders!
What are Pull Apart Meatball Sliders?
Pull apart meatball sliders are a twist on the classic meatball sub. Slider buns (or dinner rolls) have their tops cut out to create a hole for a meatball and cheese to be stuffed into.
The buns are brushed with garlic butter and toasted. They are then stuffed with mozzarella cheese, meatballs coated in marinara sauce and then topped with even more mozzarella! Baked until golden brown, with lots of melty cheese, they are simply divine.
One of the secrets to these pull apart meatball sliders is that the meatballs are extra moist and tender. The secret trick is that when the slider buns are cut to create the small hole, the cut out pieces of bread are soaked in milk and then added to the ground beef meatball mixture. The soaked bread keeps the meatballs tender and moist!
What to Serve with Pull Apart Meatball Sliders
I love having a sandwich, soup and salad family dinner! It's an easy weeknight meal that I can pull together in under an hour.
Soup Pairings
Salad Pairings
What is in Pull Apart Meatball Sliders?
Slider Ingredients
- Slider Buns - I love using Kings Hawaiian Slider Buns as they have a sweeter flavor than regular dinner rolls or slider buns. The garlic butter pairs perfectly with the slight sweetness of the buns, making the ultimate garlic bread sliders!
- Butter, Garlic, Parsley - to kick these meatball sliders up a notch they are not made in regular slider buns... they are made in garlic bread buns! A mix of melted butter, garlic and parsley is brushed over the buns before they are toasted.
- Marinara Sauce - homemade or store-bought marinara sauce can be used. I like to make the meatballs from scratch but use a store-bought marinara to cutdown on prep time. But you can definitely use store-bought meatballs and marinara sauce!
- Mozzarella - I love using mozzarella cheese for meatball sliders as it melts so well and has a great flavor. You can use any cheese you have on hand - cheddar, marble, Monterrey jack or even a spicy Havarti or jalapeno Monterrey jack for a spicy slider!
Meatball Ingredients
- Ground Beef - medium or lean ground beef is my go to for meatballs, or a combination of extra lean ground beef and ground pork. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey for this recipe for a leaner option.
- Milk - the secret to tender and moist meatballs is to soak bread in milk and mix it into the meat. As the meat cooks the soaked bread keeps the meatballs moist. When the slider buns have their tops cut out to create the hole for the meatball, the cut out bread is saved and soaked in milk.
- Onion - very finely minced or shredded onion is mixed into the meatballs which is another secret to keeping meatballs moist... and flavorful!
- Garlic - the more garlic the better in my books so of course these meatballs are packed with fresh garlic.
- Italian Seasoning (or dried oregano, basil and parsley) - I always have a jar of Italian seasoning in my pantry. It is a perfect spice blend for meatballs.
- Parmesan - adds a cheesy and salty flavor to the meatballs.
- Salt
How to Make Pull Apart Meatball Sliders
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of Page
Prepare the Slider Buns
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan or baking tray with parchment paper. Remove the slider buns from the packaging and transfer to the sheet pan.
2 Use a knife to carefully slice a hole in the top of each slider bun ⅔ of the way through the bun. Set the cut out bread aside in a small bowl.
3 Prepare the garlic butter by mixing together the melted butter, minced garlic, and minced parsley in a small bowl.
4 Brush the garlic butter on the tops, sides and cut centers of the slider buns until evenly coated.
5 Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
Prepare the Meatballs
1 Pour 2 tablespoon of milk over the cut out bread pieces and mix until evenly coated. Use a fork to mash the bread into small pieces.
2 In a large bowl add all of the meatball ingredients and the soaked bread. Mix until evenly combined. Divide the meat into 12 portions and shape the meatballs.
Cook the Meatballs
STOVE TOP COOKING METHOD
Add a splash of cooking oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 5-8 minutes, or until cooked through.
OVEN BAKING METHOD
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the meatballs on a parchment paper lined sheet for 20 – 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
AIR FRYER COOKING METHOD
Preheat Air Fryer to 400°F. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the air fryer (leaving a small space between each meatball). Air fry for 8 – 12 minutes or until cooked through.
Assemble the Sliders
1 Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large bowl and pour the marinara sauce over them. Mix until evenly coated.
2 Evenly divide ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese into the bottoms of each slider bun. Top with a meatball.
3 Add a spoonful of marinara sauce on top of each meatball. Divide the remaining ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese on top of each meatball.
4 Transfer the sliders back to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Garnish with additional shredded parmesan cheese, fresh basil and parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Pull Apart Meatball Sliders
- Meatballs - for this recipe I highly recommend trying my homemade meatball recipe. There is a secret ingredient that keeps the meatballs tender and moist... bread soaked in milk! When making the sliders a section of bread needs to be cut out of the tops of the buns to create a space for the meatball. Instead of letting that bread go to waste it is the secret ingredient in the meatballs. The bread is soaked in milk and then mixed into the meatballs, keeping them tender and moist.
- Slider Buns - you can use any variety of slider bun or dinner roll. I personally love Hawaiian sweet rolls, the sweetness adds a little something special to the recipe when paired with the garlic butter. Be sure to toast the buns after spreading the garlic butter or else the centers will be too soft when the meatballs are added in.
- Marinara Sauce - store-bought or homemade marinara sauce works great for this recipe. You can get creative and use alfredo sauce, Rose pasta sauce, pesto or a spicy marinara sauce!
FAQs Pull Apart Meatball Sliders
To reheat, transfer the sliders to a parchment paper lined sheet pan, cover with foil and bake for 8-10 minutes on 350°F. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 3 minutes.
Store cooled sliders in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you need to stack the sliders place a piece of parchment paper between them so they don't stick together.
Follow the recipe as per usual and store in the fridge up to 1 day in advance. Just before serving remove the sliders from the fridge and bake for 8-10 minutes on 350°F. Remove the foil bake for an additional 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
Yes! Meatball sliders are freezer friendly. Transfer the cooled, baked sliders to a freezer safe container or Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 6 months. For best results wrap the cooled sliders in plastic wrap and then place in a container or Ziploc bag.
To reheat, thaw the sliders in the fridge overnight and bake covered with foil for 5-10 minutes on 350°F. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
To reheat from frozen, cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes then remove the foil and bake an additional 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
Looking for More Family Dinner Recipes?
Enjoy!
- Sab
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission.
Pull Apart Meatball Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
Sliders
- 12 Hawaiian slider rolls (or slider buns or dinner rolls)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded )
- 2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)
Meatballs
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- ½ medium onion (shredded or finely minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or ½ tablespoon each dried oregano, basil and parsley)
Garlic Butter
- ¼ cup butter (melted)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon parsley (minced)
Garnish (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil (minced)
Instructions
Prepare the Slider Buns
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan or baking tray with parchment paper. Remove the slider buns from the packaging and transfer to the sheet pan.
- Use a knife to carefully slice a hole in the top of each slider bun ⅔ of the way through the bun. Set the cut out bread aside in a small bowl.
- Prepare the garlic butter by mixing together the melted butter, minced garlic, and minced parsley in a small bowl.
- Brush the garlic butter on the tops, sides and cut centers of the slider buns until evenly coated.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
Prepare the Meatballs
- Pour 2 tablespoon of milk over the cut out bread pieces and mix until evenly coated. Use a fork to mash the bread into small pieces.
- In a large bowl add all of the meatball ingredients and the soaked bread. Mix until evenly combined. Divide the meat into 12 portions and shape the meatballs.
- Cook the MeatballsSTOVE TOP COOKING METHODAdd a splash of cooking oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 5-8 minutes, or until cooked through.OVEN BAKING METHODPreheat oven to 400°F. Bake the meatballs on a parchment paper lined sheet for 20 – 25 minutes, or until cooked through.AIR FRYER COOKING METHODPreheat Air Fryer to 400°F. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the air fryer (leaving a small space between each meatball). Air fry for 8 – 12 minutes or until cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large bowl and pour the marinara sauce over them. Mix until evenly coated.
Assemble the Sliders
- Evenly divide ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese into the bottoms of each slider bun. Top with a meatball.
- Add a spoonful of marinara sauce on top of each meatball. Divide the remaining ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese on top of each meatball.
- Transfer the sliders back to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with additional shredded parmesan cheese, fresh basil and parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Stacy
These are amazing! They melt in your mouth.
Darlene
I really appreciate the details you shared in this recipe. SO easy to understand & follow. These little sliders made a BIG hit. Thank You for sharing & making my life EASY !
fedbysab
Hi Darlene, thank you for your feedback. We are so happy to hear you enjoy our recipes and the way we present them. Have a great day! 🙂
Shawn
I made with vegan meatballs so good! Party favorite! Easy!