Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders

Name: Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 12 slider rolls; 12 slices fresh mozzarella cheese; 24 cooked chicken meatballs; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter; ¼ cup marinara sauce (plus more for dipping); ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top); ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning; ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

These chicken meatball sliders are great for game day appetizers or a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

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side view of hawaiian roll meatball slider.

These Hawaiian roll meatball sliders taste just like the real thing, except no fork needed! Similar to a meatball sub, but less messy. Meatball and cheese sliders make the perfect game day snack, party snack or fun main course meal.

cooked chicken meatball parmesan sliders

If you have a soft spot for the classic chicken parmesan, these oven baked Hawaiian roll sliders are going to blow you away. Not only are they packed with flavor, but you will only need simple ingredients, which you probably already have at home.

Notable: Sweet Hawaiian buns, melted cheese, savory meatballs and parmesan topping make the most amazing pull apart meatball sliders. These mini meatball subs are easy to make and can feed a crowd.
Main Ingredients: slider rolls, mozzarella cheese, chicken meatballs, parmesan cheese, butter, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder
Cooking Method: oven baked
Cooking Time: 10 minutes prep time, 25 minutes cooking time
Pairs well with: fresh green salad, pasta salad, antipasto salad, wedges and fries
Special Equipment Needed: 9×13-inch baking dish, measuring spoons and cups, cutting board and knife

Table of Contents

Ingredients

You may have all of these ingredients for this Hawaiian roll meatball sliders recipe in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making these cheesy Italian meatball sliders you might want to read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients.

Slider Sandwiches Ingredients

12 Hawaiian sweet rolls, dinner rolls or slider buns
12 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
24 cooked meatballs (We made our own chicken meatballs but you can make your own or buy from the grocery store and cook them in the air fryer.)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup marinara sauce (plus more for dipping)
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling on top)
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Variations and Substitutions

Cheese: You can substitute the fresh mozzarella slices for other types of cheese like provolone, pepper jack, Monterey jack or shredded mozzarella.

Marinara: Try the best homemade marinara sauce, it’s delicious! As a quick and easy option you can purchase a jar from the store, like Rao’s.

Chicken Meatballs: We love using our favorite chicken parmesan meatball recipe, however, you can grab some from the frozen section as well. You can also use cooked breaded chicken breast pieces in this recipe.

Instead of using chicken meatballs, make chicken breast in the Instant Pot and dice or shred it for the sliders.

Stuffed Meatball Sliders: Use our mozzarella stuffed meatballs to make these even cheesier.

Italian Meatball Sliders: For a traditional meatball sub feel, use Stef’s famous Italian meatballs.

Turkey Meatball Sliders: Stuffed with spinach and cheese, turkey meatballs can easily be turned into sliders.

Air Fryer meatball Sliders: An easier way than using the oven is making air fried meatballs.

ingredients needed to make chicken parm meatball sliders

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you loved this easy meatball sliders recipe, try our amazing Meatball Calzones. You’ll love these because they are so easy to make, you can fill them with chicken parmesan meatballs and they taste even better than take-out.

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Casserole Dish — We love using this glass baking dish as it cooks food evenly, you can easily see the food while it cooks and it also looks good as a serving dish.

Instructions

This section shows how to cook Hawaiian roll sliders in the oven, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below.

PREHEAT OVEN AND PREP DISH: Grease a 9×13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

SLICE SLIDER ROLLS: Cut the slider rolls and place the bottom halves in the baking dish.

bottom half of 9 hawaiian rolls in bottom of baking dish

BRUSH ON BUTTER: Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small bowl and brush it on the bottom half of the rolls.

ADD MARINARA: Spread the marinara sauce on top of the sliders. If you add extra sauce to your slider rolls before cooking they may become soggy. If you like more sauce, consider putting a layer of cheese on the bread then sauce.

hand using basting brush to put butter on bottom of rolls

PLACE THE MEATBALLS: Put two chicken meatballs on top of each roll.

ADD THE CHEESE: Top all the individual sandwiches with a slice of mozzarella, followed by the parmesan cheese.

chicken meatballs lined up on bottom of rolls

slice of mozzarella cheese placed on top of meatballs

ADD THE TOP BUNS: Place the top rolls on the cheese.

parmesan sprinkled onto mozzarella slices on the meatball sliders.

BASTE WITH BUTTER: Brush the sliders with melted butter. If you like your sliders extra buttery, add more melted butter before baking. Then baste the top layer of bread with delicious butter when you remove from the oven.

ADD SPICES: Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with black pepper and Italian seasoning.

Italian seasoning sprinkled on top of meatball sliders.

COOKING TIME: Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

UNCOVER: After 20 minutes, uncover the sliders and continue cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish the top of the buns with fresh basil if you like, then serve and eat.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love meatball sandwiches then you’ll love our Meatball Sub Bombs. They are easy to make and the best appetizer for parties and game days. Served with a salad, they are also an easy weeknight dinner idea.

Andrea says….

This is a fun way to make meatball sandwiches. It’s great with any type of leftover meatballs or just cook up some frozen meatballs just for these.

Recipe Tips

Follow these tips to make the best cheesy meatball sliders recipe.

Tip: Use sweet King’s Hawaiian rolls, as they have just the right flavor to complement the meatballs and marinara sauce.
Tip: For best results, use homemade marinara sauce. In case you are in a hurry, use your favorite sauce from the store.
Tip: Do not add too much sauce to the slider rolls, or they might get soggy. Rather serve some sauce on the side for dipping.
Tip: Don’t be shy with the butter, because it adds immense flavor to your sliders. Have you tried using garlic butter to add even more flavor?

What To Serve With Hawaiian Roll Meatball Sliders

We love to eat chicken parm sliders all by themselves. But sometimes you need to serve them as a meal. Try one of these delicious recipes:

Sauce: Serve Hawaiian roll sliders with homemade pasta sauce, such as our best Marinara Sauce with Red Wine.

Salad: Pair these cheesy chicken meatball sliders with a fresh salad. A green salad like our amazing Italian Salad or Strawberry Avocado Salad. Or even a Caprese Salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil or Antipasto Salad.

Sides: Traditionally, meatball sliders are served with Fries or Potato Wedges. It would also taste great with a fruit salad, like Stef’s Peach Burrata Salad.

Homemade Meatball Recipes

You can make all kinds of different flavored meatball sliders by using a different meatball recipe each time. We love using all of these juicy meatballs to make Hawaiian roll sliders:

How To Store

Refrigerate: Keep leftover sliders in the fridge in an air tight container or ziploc bag up to 3 days.

Freeze: We don’t recommend freezing chicken parm sliders because of the sauce. Once it’s thawed, the rolls may become soggy.

How To Reheat

Reheat Hawaiian roll meatball slider leftovers in the oven at 350ºF until heated through. We recommend keeping them covered with aluminum foil while reheating. In case it has to go quick, you can also reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds. However, be careful, because the rolls will get squishy when microwaved for too long. Additionally, you can reheat them in the air fryer at 350 degrees for a few minutes.

easy chicken meatball sliders on a baking pan

Common Questions

How long to bake meatball sliders?

Because our meatballs are already cooked, you only need about 25 minutes to bake, just so the cheese melts and the tops are toasted.

Is it better to use my own homemade meatballs or frozen meatballs for this recipe?

As a matter of fact you can use any kind of meatball you like. We love using one of our easy recipes for chicken, turkey or ground beef meatballs. The only thing you need to be careful about is using cooked meatballs.

When should I serve Hawaiian roll sliders?

Slider recipes are very versatile and can be served as a perfect party appetizer, delicious snack on super bowl Sunday as well as a fun main course with a crunchy salad and some potato wedges.

5 from 3 votes