DELICIOUS ITALIAN MEATBALL SLIDERS

Delicious Italian Meatball Sliders image

I just came up with this recipe for meatball sliders tonight, and was blown away. Moist, delicious! Goes well with Caesar salad.

Provided by sweetie26

Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Sausage

Time 45m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
4 ounces bulk Italian pork sausage
¼ cup bread crumbs
1 small egg
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
1 small onion, finely diced
1 (24 ounce) jar tomato and basil spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu®)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
12 (3 ounce) ciabatta buns
3 tablespoons garlic butter, or to taste
⅓ cup shredded Italian cheese blend, or to taste

Steps:

Mix ground beef, pork sausage, bread crumbs, egg, Cajun seasoning, seasoned salt, garlic powder, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl until well combined. Form mixture into twelve 2-inch meatballs. Form any remaining meat mixture into meatballs or patties, and freeze for another time.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Place meatballs in the hot oil and cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer meatballs to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon grease from the pan.
Add onion to the pan; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, and seasoned salt; bring to a simmer. Return meatballs to the pan and simmer until no longer pink in the centers, about 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meatballs should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Meanwhile, slice ciabatta buns in half and spread butter over the cut sides. Place on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until buns are slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn on the broiler. Place 1 meatball on each bottom bun, top with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sauce, and sprinkle with shredded Italian cheese. Sprinkle top buns with more Italian cheese.
Broil until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 949.8 calories, Carbohydrate 106.8 g, Cholesterol 128.4 mg, Fat 36.1 g, Fiber 8.1 g, Protein 45.8 g, SaturatedFat 12.8 g, Sodium 2412.2 mg, Sugar 12.4 g