Meatball Sliders
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 10:40am

Ingredients




For the tomato sauce:
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 California bay leaf
For the meatballs:
3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (6 slices white sandwich bread)
2/3 cup whole milk
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef (not lean)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 cups vegetable oil
20 small (2-inch) slider buns, split
Optional: baby greens for garnish

Preparation

1 To make the tomato sauce: 2 Purée tomatoes with their juice in a blender and transfer to a bowl. 3 Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and sauté onion until golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add tomato purée, sugar, bay leaf, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 40 to 50 minutes. Discard bay leaf. 4 Make meatballs while sauce simmers: 5 Stir together bread crumbs and milk in a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes. Add meat, garlic, cheese, eggs, parsley, oregano, marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and blend until just combined well (do not overmix). Form level 1/4-cup portions into meatballs. 6 Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat hot and fry meatballs, about 6 at a time, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon. 7 Simmer meatballs in sauce and assemble sliders: 8 Add drained meatballs to tomato sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are heated through. 9 Assemble sliders with a meatball and 1 tablespoon sauce per bun. Garnish with baby greens and secure each with a wooden pick.

About

 Sliders are always a crowd pleaser! Try these for your next game day party! Based on an Epicurious.com recipe.