Mini Monster Meatball Sliders

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Mini Monster Meatball Sliders are not only fun to make, but fun to eat! Packed with meatballs, cheese, and sauce, these sliders are on the table in no time.

This recipe and the giveaway included in this post is part of a sponsored event. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures possible.

We are not huge sweets eaters. I know I’ve talked about this before, but it really is true. I made cookies sometimes. The macaron go in to work unless it’s a flavor that I truly cannot share. Cakes? Don’t make them because they don’t get eaten. Pies? Sometimes I make them, and they get eaten. Brownies? Not often. Pudding? I used to make that but haven’t in a while.

Lately, we just eat ice cream cone novelties. They’re the dessert of choice here. Even if I make some no churn ice cream, we have it once and that’s it. We, I should say HE just wants the novelty cones. I’m fine eating them, too, but I do get tired of them every now and then. I have the popsicles from Monday in there to nibble one. I’m sure we’ll run out of the ice cream cones and I’ll just eat those. Maybe he’ll have one, too. We’ll see.

 

But we are just not huge sweet eaters.

I’d rather have fries and chips than chocolate and candies. So, I was thrilled when I could make some savory treats this week, along with the sweet ones. Don’t get me wrong, I love the popsicles, but these sliders are something I’d prefer. All the cheese and meatball goodness baked up with some party rolls with garlic butter. Oh yeah. These are so good!

But you couldn’t just take meatballs and turn them into sliders. You have to Halloween them up a bit, right? So, you turn them into mini monster meatball sliders! You take some fun olives and roasted red peppers and add some cute eyes to garnish your sliders with. And let me tell you, these suckers are super cute and super fun to make!

I mean, if you have meatballs already made, just slice those bad boys in half. Why slice them in half? Because, well, I tried them not sliced and they weren’t as easy to eat as slicing the meatballs in half. So, unless you want to get everyone a bib, I suggest slicing your meatballs in half.

 

I made these twice.

Once with the whole meatballs and different rolls. The rolls were good, but just didn’t quite accomplish what I was going for as a slider. They were split topped sweet buns. I still have them in the pantry for another slider another day. These meatball sliders need a mini hamburger bun of sorts. So, the Martin’s party rolls are the perfect choice.

No, this isn’t an ad for their buns. I just love their bread products. They’re super reliable, taste awesome, and are always reasonably priced. I usually look for the hamburger and hot dog buns, but I when I found these party packs, I was in love! They make the best sliders. Fill them with these meatballs or sloppy joe mix like these Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joe Sliders.

 

I totally struggled with those red peppers.

They are roasted red peppers. Which, as some might know, can be quite finicky. They didn’t want to keep their shape. I would have been better off with just red bell pepper strips but wanted to use the roasted red peppers. I thought the flavors would pair well with these mini monster meatball sliders. The Italian flavored meatballs I made were perfect with the olives and the roasted red pepper eye browns. Just make sure the roasted red peppers aren’t – shall we say – aged?

The olives are the queen pimento stuffed olives. One olive makes two, very large eyes! You can use whatever olives you have on hand. Just make sure they’re stuffed with something to make the eyes look like eyes and not creepy dark sockets without eyes. That might scare your kids.

I can’t get over how cute and fun these things look. This big kid had a blast making them and I’m sure your littles would, too. Once you slice the meatballs, they can help with assembly. They can even drizzle or brush the tops of the buns with the butter mixture.

And when they come out of the oven, they can put the eyes and eyebrows on the toothpicks. Once cooled and on a serving plate, they can put the eyes on the monster sliders. If your finicky roasted red peppers are being a pain, then just grab a bell pepper. They work just as well for the eyebrows.

 

You can’t tell me you’re NOT giggling. OR at least smiling. Because I am!

These mini monster meatball sliders are just super adorable! And perfect for a Halloween get together. Once you have the meatballs all cooked and cut up, then it’s a quick 5-minute assembly then into the oven. Your guests can nibble on the dips and chips until these are ready.

They smell amazing baking. The garlic and meatball aromas fill the air. So, by the time these are finished and ready to eat, you might want to start a second batch. I know these will fly off the plate. I should have called them flying mini monster meatball sliders! HAH!

I wouldn’t suggest making these ahead of time. The pizza sauce might make the rolls get a little soggy. This could affect how they cook in the oven. But don’t quote me on that one. I haven’t tried making them ahead of time. I just know what happens when I make my sandwich for lunch the night before.

The toothpicks no only hold the eyes, but makes these easier to pick up without all the meatballs falling out. But since you cut those meatballs in half, they’re pretty secure in there with the cheese holding it all together.

I used an Italian blend that is Mozzarella, Parmesan, and I think Romano? But you can use whatever cheese you want. Want all Mozz? Go for it! Like the robust flavors or Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano? Use those instead. Just use a good cheese that melts well and tastes great with your meatballs.

Take a look at more spooky Halloween recipes from our #HalloweenTreatsWeek Bloggers today:

Cookies & Bars:

• Bat Sugar Cookies from The Flour Handprint
• Candy Corn Poke Cake from Devour Dinner
• Halloween Brownie Cupcakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from It’s Shanaka
• Spider Brownie Bites from Tastes of Homemade
• Mini Candy Corn Cheesecakes from Cheese Curd in Paradise
• Halloween Bark from West Via Midwest
• Halloween Snack Mix from Savory Experiments
• Sweet & Savory Halloween Snack Board from An Affair from the Heart
• Mini Monster Meatball Sliders from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Mummy Brie from The Spiffy Cookie