Crockpot Meatball Sliders

5 from 2 votes

Italian crockpot meatball sliders on Hawaiian rolls make an easy appetizer, lunch, or dinner, whether you're serving 4 or 24 people!

Servings sliders

Prep Time 4 25

Cook Time 5

Total Time 4 30

Ingredients

12 pieces King's Hawaiian Rolls
12 large slow cooker Italian meatballs warm
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter melted
Garlic powder
Oregano

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

First prepare the slow cooker meatballs (linked above in ingredients).
Once the meatballs are ready, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Next, slice the Hawaiian rolls horizontally to separate the top and bottom halves (but don't separate the rolls from one another). Place the bottom half in a baking dish.
Then, add one meatball to each roll, smushing it down slightly to help it stay in place. Top the meatballs with extra sauce from the crockpot (up to a quarter cup), then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
Finally, place the top half of the rolls over the meatballs. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and season lightly with garlic powder and oregano.
Bake 5 minutes, just enough to warm the rolls and give them a slight crisp on top. Serve hot.

Notes

Slider rolls: We’re partial to the sweet flavor and fluffy texture of King’s Hawaiian Rolls, but you can use any pull apart dinner rolls for this easy meatball sliders recipe.

Meatballs: We recommend using our slow cooker meatball recipe here for these sliders. Use the full 1 lb of ground beef, but make the meatballs slightly larger so that you end up with about 12 to 14 in total. This makes them a better size fit with the dinner rolls.

Make ahead instructions: There are a few ways you can prepare ahead of time to make these meatball sliders as easy as possible. This is super helpful if you’re planning to serve them as a game day appetizer or one of many homemade snacks for a large party.

Option 1 - Make the crockpot meatballs earlier in the day, and keep them on warm until it’s time to assemble the sliders. Assemble and bake as normal.
Option 2 - Make the crockpot meatballs up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerate. When you’re ready to assemble the sliders, use the cold meatballs and sauce straight from the fridge. Skip the butter and seasonings on top of the rolls for now, cover the tray with foil, and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the meatballs are warmed through. Then, add the melted butter and seasonings and bake, uncovered, for about 3 to 5 more minutes to toast the tops of the rolls.
Option 3 - Make the crockpot meatballs up to 3 months ahead of time and store in the freezer. Defrost 1 to 2 days ahead of time, and follow the steps above for Option 2 to make the sliders.

Build your own sliders: You can also set out the ingredients and have party guests build their own sliders! Simply slice the rolls in half, add the butter and seasonings, and toast in the oven at 325 degrees F for 5 minutes. Then, set these out next to a crockpot full of meatballs with a bowl of grated parmesan cheese, and voila!

Serving suggestions: When serving meatball sliders as a lunch or dinner, we like to pair them with french fries, tater tots, onion rings, salad, or carrots and tzatziki (or ranch dip). If you're serving the sliders as part of a larger spread for a game day or party, they go great with appetizers like our buffalo chicken dip and agave chili lime chicken wings.

Storing & reheating: Leftover meatball sliders can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven at 325 degrees F in a baking dish covered with foil for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are warmed through.

Author: Nicole Langdon

Calories: 192kcal

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: butter, game day, garlic powder, hawaiian rolls, make ahead, meatballs, oregano, parmesan, party appetizer, super bowl

Nutrition