If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, try these tasty pepperoni sausage pizza sliders. These easy mini sandwiches are layered with a homemade garlic sauce, red sauce, flavorful pepperoni, Italian sausage, and mozzarella cheese. They’re a quick and fun appetizer for game-day, movie night, or any night of the week.
These easy pizza sliders are perfect for parties. With layers of traditional pizza toppings, they’ll be a hit with kids and adults. Make a batch, or two, for your next gathering and watch them fly off the table. For more delectable slider recipes try these corned beef sliders and these fantastic meatball sliders.
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What’s great about this recipe
- Pizza sliders are easy to prepare and make 12 mini sandwiches per batch. Plus, doubling or tripling the recipe is simple.
- They are versatile! Add extra sausage or pepperoni, leave out one or the other, use a turkey variety, add a veggie-based protein. You get the picture. You have a blank canvas if the ingredients are fully cooked before building the sandwiches.
- Not only are they super tasty and easy to prepare, but they’re also budget-friendly party food. The ingredients are easy to find and affordable, especially if you score some of the items on sale.
Ingredients
- Slider buns – Hawaiian rolls are easy to find and work beautifully for these little sandwiches, but any slider buns will be just as good.
- Pepperoni – Thin sliced pepperoni will work best. If you have extra pepperoni, make this pizza pasta bake that will be a hit at dinnertime.
- Italian Sausage – Mild, hot, or sweet Italian sausage will all work great; choose your favorite. Cook it to package directions or see this skillet sausage post. Italian sausage is a great ingredient because It’s flavorful, cheap, and convenient. Check out these 14 Italian sausage recipes post for more ideas.
- Butter and oil – Are used to make the garlic sauce. Use salted or unsalted butter and extra virgin olive oil.
- Vegetables and seasoning – Garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning add a delicious layer of flavor.
- Pasta Sauce – we use a meatless variety of pasta sauce because we always have some on hand. Marinara sauce and pizza sauce work well too.
- Mozzarella cheese – I like to use whole milk mozzarella, but reduced fat can be used.
- Optional garnish – Sprinkle the top with chopped fresh parsley or grated parmesan cheese when they are done, if desired.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet (a quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil roughly the size of the baking sheet.
- Add the butter to a small bowl. Soften at room temperature or give it 5-10 seconds in the microwave. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. stir well to combine.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the Hawaiian rolls in half without separating the individual buns.
- Lay the bottom half of the rolls on the baking sheet. Brush half of the butter garlic mixture on them covering the whole area.
- Spoon and spread half of the pasta sauce over the oil.
- Arrange the cooked Italian sausage in a single layer covering the entire area.
- Sprinkle half the cheese over the sausage.
- Next, arrange the pepperoni over the cheese. Overlap it slightly to cover the whole surface. Then, top the pepperoni with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon and spread the top half of the buns with the remaining pasta sauce before closing them.
- Brush the top of the bread with the remaining butter garlic mixture.
Place the aluminum foil on top of the bread. Don’t wrap it, just place it on top. Bake them for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese melts. Uncover and bake 2-3 minutes or until golden. Garnish with chopped parsley or parmesan cheese if desired.
Use a serrated knife to cut the individual pieces, serve and enjoy.
Recipe notes and tips
- We made these little sandwiches with Hawaiian rolls, but any slider buns will do. If they are not attached place them close together to make building them easy.
- Use pasta sauce, marinara, or pizza sauce if you have some on hand.
- Substitute turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni for their pork counterparts to make these pizza sliders if you prefer.
- Hand shredded mozzarella cheese will melt smoother but pre-shredded can be substituted.
Storing instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them on a microwave safe plate, place a paper towel over them and reheat for 20-30 seconds at a time until hot. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure they reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Pepperoni Sausage Pizza Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Large Garlic Clove minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 12 Hawaiian Rolls or Slider Buns typically a 12 ounce package
- ½ cup Pasta Sauce use a meatless variety
- 2 Italian Sausage Links cooked using package directions and sliced thin (about 8 ounces)
- 2½ -3 ounces Sliced Pepperoni about 30 thin slices
- 8 ounces Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- Chopped Parsley for garnish optional
- Grated Parmesan Cheese for garnish optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet (a quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil roughly the size of the baking sheet.
- Add the butter to a small bowl. Soften at room temperature or give it 5-10 seconds in the microwave. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. stir well to combine.
- Use a serrated knife to slice the Hawaiian rolls in half without separating the individual buns.
- Lay the bottom half of the rolls on the baking sheet.
- Brush half of the butter garlic mixture on them covering the whole area.
- Spoon and spread half of the pasta sauce over the oil.
- Arrange the cooked Italian sausage in a single layer covering the entire area.
- Sprinkle half the cheese over the sausage.
- Next, arrange the pepperoni over the cheese. Overlap the pepperoni slightly to cover the whole surface.
- Top the pepperoni with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon and spread the top half of the buns with the remaining pasta sauce before closing the sandwich.
- Brush the top of the bread with the remaining butter garlic mixture.
- Place the aluminum foil on top of the bread. Don’t wrap it, just place it on top.
- Bake the sliders for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese melts. Uncover and bake 2-3 minutes until golden.
- Garnish with chopped parsley or parmesan cheese if desired. Use a serrated knife to cut the individual sliders, serve and enjoy.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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