Oven Roasted Turkey Meatball Sliders

Oven Roasted Turkey Meatball Sliders

I’m a sucker for bite sized food! Maybe it’s the adorableness of how tiny it is, maybe it makes me feel like I ate less (even though it’s probably the same or more!), or maybe it’s the wonderful flavor packed into such tiny proportions. Whatever it may be.. these meatball sliders are a new favorite!

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Ingredients:

For meatballs:

(makes 25-30)

4 slices whole wheat bread

½ cup water

2 eggs

1lb ground turkey

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbs Italian seasoning

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

(I add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes as well!)

2 Tbs olive oil

2 cups marinara or red sauce

You can buy a canned marinara sauce or make a quick one using tomato paste, tomato sauce, and some seasonings. Get my recipe here!

French rolls, cut in half to make a bun

1 package of mozzarella slices

Red onion slices

Kabob sticks or extra-long toothpicks

I used kabob sticks broken in half because the toothpicks had the fancy plastic on the ends. Since I didn’t want melted plastic on my sliders or a potential oven fire, I used the kabob sticks and then replaced them with the toothpicks once they were done cooking.

(1.) Place bread slices in a large bowl and pour water over them. Let bread absorb water for 2-3 minutes. (2.) Next add eggs and chop up/mash bread. This is going to look pretty gross (like chewed bread!), but it’s all a part of the process! (3.) Mix in ground turkey, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. (4.) With wet hands, form mixture into small balls. Mixture will make 25-30 meatballs.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot add meatballs. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked all the way through. (6.) Cut one in half to make sure they’re thoroughly cooked. Place meatballs on a paper towel and set aside. If you’re not cooking the entire batch, you can freeze the remaining mixture and defrost at a later date.

While waiting on meatballs to cook, heat your marinara in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Turn broiler on or set oven to 500 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with foil.

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the inside of the French roll buns and add onions or other toppings. Using a large spoon, drop a meatball into the sauce and turn until evenly coated. Place on the bun, top with a slice of cheese (I folded mine in half), and place the top of bun on.

Insert a toothpick or kabob stick (I broke these in half as well) through the center and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining meatballs.