Sloppy joe sliders are the ultimate game day food. Sloppy joe meat on top of slider buns with melty cheese and Coca-Cola onions with a yummy glaze, all baked up until bubbly, it doesn’t get any better than this!
It has officially been football season, and we are so pumped in this house! I wanted to make some finger foods while watching the game and this lightbulb went off in my head – Sloppy Joe Sliders!
There are a few things you should know about me by now. 1. I love finger foods and appetizers or bite-sized foods of any kind – LOVE THEM. 2. We are a huge sport-orientated family. 3. I love to smash 1 and 2 together and make epic nibbles while watching our games.
Since it is finally prime time, I am constantly making up new treats to have while watching. And, if you have been following this blog for any time now, you know I love a slider.
I wanted this slider recipe to stand out from the rest, so there is a secret ingredient in this recipe. I added caramelized onions to them, but not just any caramelized onions… they have Coca-Cola in them – yes!
They are the perfect sweet addition to this appetizer, it just works!
I personally like to serve the onions on the side, and we have some picky eaters in my family, but, if you love onions as I do, go for it! These Sloppy Joe Sliders will surely be the MAIN EVENT at your next gathering.
Our other favorite game day recipes on our site include: Loaded Potato Skins, Pub Style Beer Cheese Dip, and BBQ Crockpot Chicken Wings.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With the caramelized onion addition, it switches up the flavor of traditional sloppy joes!
- Total crowd-pleasing recipe with all the ooey gooey cheese and sloppy joe meat.
- It uses staple recipe ingredients you probably already have at home.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
- Sweet onions
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Coca-Cola
- Ground beef
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Beef stock
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Light brown sugar
- Hawaiian Rolls
- Colby jack cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Sesame seeds
HOW TO MAKE SLOPPY JOE SLIDERS:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the onions into ¼ inch rounds, discarding the root and skin. Separate the rings and set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper, stir to coat the onions in the oil and seasonings. Cook, occasionally stirring, for 15 minutes until the onions are translucent and starting to soften.
- Add the Coca-Cola to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Continue to cook until caramelized, browned, and soft, and almost all of the liquid is cooked out, 15-20 minutes stirring frequently. Take off the heat and set aside.
- While the onions are cooking, make the meat filling. Add the ground beef and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles until cooked through and there is no pink left. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, stock, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Mix to combine, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and take off the heat.
- Cut the rolls in half lengthwise. Place the bottoms of the rolls into an 11×7 or similar-sized baking dish. Top with half of the cheese, spread the meat mixture evenly on top, spread the onions evenly on top, top with the remaining cheese, and place the tops of the rolls on.
- Mix together the melted butter, sesame seeds, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder in a small bowl, and pour evenly on top of the rolls. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
DO I HAVE TO MAKE THE ONIONS?
Absolutely not. These sliders will still be knock-out delicious without them.
I think they add a nice sweet note to the overall sandwich, but they are not a must.
DOES THIS MAKE ENOUGH TO FEED A CROWD?
To me, it depends on how many people you are serving. This recipe makes 12 sliders, so if you have a gathering with other snacks and appetizers, I think you can get away with 1 slider per person.
But, if you are serving this as a main dish, then I would assume people would want 2-3. So you decide on your crowd, if they are super good eaters and how many other dishes you will have to serve, maybe double the recipe.
WHAT ARE SOME CUSTOMIZABLE OPTIONS?
There are many! Let’s break it down by ingredients.
Instead of Hawaiian Rolls, I suggest:
- Dinner Rolls
- Potato Rolls
- Brioche Rolls
- Pretzel Rolls
Just make sure the rolls are about the size of a dinner roll. If they are larger in size, you may need a larger baking dish, so they all fit.
In place of ground beef, I suggest:
- Ground turkey
- Ground pork
- Ground chicken
I used Colby Jack cheese, you can also use sliced:
- Sharp cheddar
- Gruyere
- American
- Mozzarella
- Provolone
- Pepper Jack
- Monterey Jack
HOW TO STORE:
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
To reheat, you can cover with foil and bake until warmed through or in the microwave.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Place leftovers in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, place the dish in the fridge overnight and then reheat before serving.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more.
- If you don’t like onions or don’t want to spend the time making them, just leave them out, still delish!
- Lots of customizable options above, including swapping out cheeses, breads, and proteins.
- Use Dr. Pepper in place of Coca-Cola for a fun twist.
- This reheats and freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
Have another fun gathering coming up and don’t know what to serve? Try my Sloppy Joe Sliders, they are even great for any weekday meal!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these SLOPPY JOE SLIDERS, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Sloppy Joe Sliders
Ingredients
Coca-Cola Onions
- 2 medium sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup Coca-cola
Sloppy Joe Meat
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup beef stock or broth
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
Slider Assembly
- 12 Hawaiian rolls
- 8 slices colby jack cheese
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Coca-Cola Onions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the onions into ¼ inch rounds, discarding the root and skin. Separate the rings and set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, onions, salt, and pepper, stir to coat the onions in the oil and seasonings. Cook, occasionally stirring, for 15 minutes until the onions are translucent and starting to soften.
- Add the Coca-Cola to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Continue to cook until caramelized, browned, and soft, and almost all of the liquid is cooked out, 15-20 minutes stirring frequently. Take off the heat and set aside.
Sloppy Joe Meat
- While the onions are cooking, make the meat filling. Add the ground beef and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles until cooked through and there is no pink left. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, stock, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Mix to combine, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and take off the heat.
Slider Assembly
- Cut the rolls in half lengthwise. Place the bottoms of the rolls into an 11×7 or similar-sized baking dish. Top with half of the cheese, spread the meat mixture evenly on top, spread the onions evenly on top, top with the remaining cheese, and place the tops of the rolls on.
- Mix together the melted butter, sesame seeds, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder in a small bowl, and pour evenly on top of the rolls. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more.
- If you don’t like onions or don’t want to spend the time making them, just leave them out, still delish!
- Lots of customizable options above, including swapping out cheeses, breads, and proteins.
- Use Dr. Pepper in place of Coca-Cola for a fun twist.
- This reheats and freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
Nutrition
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