If you're looking for an easy weeknight meal that feels like a party in your mouth (and not a disaster in your kitchen), these Meatball Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls are your new best friend. They only require seven simple ingredients—because who has time for a 20-item grocery list on a Tuesday?
Each slider is stacked with juicy meatballs, smothered in rich pasta sauce, and blanketed with lots of cheese. They're warm, melty, and just the right amount of perfect messiness. And don’t let their flavor-packed, pull-apart goodness fool you, these little gems are so easy to make, you’ll be able to whip 'em up faster than your family can say, “What’s for dinner?”
Not only do these make a delicious dinner, they're also a great appetizer perfect for game days.
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Ingredient Photo
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This is going to be a short list because I’m all about working smarter, not harder. I’m taking some help from the grocery store on this one (and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that!).
We’re rolling with pre-made meatballs, our favorite jar of sauce, soft and slightly sweet Hawaiian rolls, and pre-shredded mozzarella cheese. Look, I get it—not everyone has time to be in the kitchen crafting homemade meatballs like a culinary wizard. Honestly, even if I did have the time… why complicate a good thing?
Not only that, all of these ingredients have a store brand at one major grocery store (you know the one) so you can make these without breaking the bank, I got you!
- Meatballs: I go for Italian meatballs because they bring extra flavor to the party without any extra effort. You’ll find them hanging out in the frozen section, just waiting to be heroes.
- Dinner Rolls: Yep, we’re building these bad boys on soft Hawaiian rolls. Not a fan? No problem—your favorite dinner roll will do just fine.
- Sauce: We’re team marinara over here, but if pizza sauce is more your thing, go for it. No wrong answers in slider town.
- Cheese: Mozzarella cheese is the move. And yes, I use the pre-shredded stuff. Sure, it doesn’t melt quite as beautifully as the block variety, but honestly? I’m okay with that. If you're not, go ahead and shred some like a kitchen rockstar. You can even use mozzarella slices if that’s more your style—no cheese judgment here.
- Butter: I like unsalted real butter, but if you’ve got salted butter or even margarine in your fridge, they’ll work just fine. No need to make a special trip.
- Spices & Seasoning: A little garlic powder and Italian seasoning stirred into melted butter, then brushed over the tops of the rolls? That’s where the magic happens. Trust me, it takes these sliders from good to "where have you been all my life?"
Step-By-Step Instructions (with photos)
See recipe card below for complete directions with amounts.
Step 1: Warm the meatballs on a plate, covered with a paper towel, in the microwave for 3-4 minutes.
Step 2: Warm the marinara sauce in a skillet over medium heat, add the meatballs.
Step 3: Cut the rolls in half, and place two meatballs on each roll, put a spoonful of marinara sauce over them, then sprinkle the cheese over all of them.
Step 4: Place the roll tops on and then brush with the garlic butter mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 12 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 2-3 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can assemble them in advance, cover with foil, and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. Just make sure you either use a fridge-to-oven safe baking dish or let the sliders sit out for about 20–30 minutes before baking to take the chill off—nobody wants to deal with cracked bakeware. Since they’ll be cold, you’ll need to bake them with the foil on for longer—maybe even twice as long. Totally worth the wait.
Pop any leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just be warned—they might mysteriously disappear before then. 😉
Looking for an another easy sandwich recipe that is crowd pleasing? Check out these Homemade Sloppy Joes!
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Meatball Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 frozen mini meatballs
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 pkg Hawaiin rolls
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Warm the meatballs on a microwave-safe plate for 3–4 minutes, or until heated through.
- While the meatballs are warming, heat the sauce in a skillet over medium heat. Add the warm meatballs and stir to coat them in the sauce.
- Melt the butter, either in a small saucepan or in the microwave, then stir in the Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
- Cut the rolls in half horizontally (without separating them) and place the bottom buns in a 9" x 13" baking pan.
- Place 2 meatballs on each roll, spoon a teaspoon (or more!) of sauce over each, then add the top buns.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with the seasoned butter mixture, cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake for 11–13 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 2–3 minutes to crisp up the tops slightly.
Tips for success
Why do you include metric measurements?
While the U.S. still mostly uses cups and tablespoons, the rest of the world uses metric. I include both to make my recipes easier for everyone—no conversions needed! The metric amounts are calculated automatically and work great for everyday cooking. Since these recipes aren’t for baking (where exact weights really matter), a few grams one way or the other won’t hurt a thing.Just toggle to the metric version to view the measurements in grams, milliliters, and more!
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