Roast Beef Sliders With Onions and Cheese (30 Min)
Tuck into gooey roast beef sliders with deli beef, golden brown onions, oozing cheese, and your favorite spread. They are an easy-to-make appetizer for game day, any gathering, or a simple weeknight meal. Ready in 30 minutes. The recipe can be doubled, tripled or halved.
Servings (change as needed): 12 sliders
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (~2 cups sliced - I use sweet onions)
- 1 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced or shaved, Note 1
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or choice of spread, Note 2 (I use at least 3 tablespoons of spread)
Rolls and cheese
- 12 slider rolls or buns, Note 3
- 4 slices cheese, Note 4 or 3-4 ounces shredded cheese
- 1 tablespoon soft butter (to spread on pan) (or spray with oil)
Glaze for rolls, Note 5
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or maple syrup)
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (garnish) (or Everything Bagel Seasoning or poppy seeds)
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 350F/177C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (sprayed with oil). TIP: If you want the sliders to have buttery slightly crispy bottoms, spread a thin layer of soft butter directly on the pan surface or on the foil.
- SAUTÉ ONIONS: Heat oil in a medium skillet to medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft. TIP: to speed up the caramelization/browning, add a pinch of sugar while onions are sautéing.
- PREPARE AND ASSEMBLE SLIDERS: Cut rolls in half horizontally, keeping rolls intact (don't separate them). Layer from the bottom up: °bottom half of rolls°spread°cheese°deli beef°onions (then optional extra cheese if using)°top half of rolls.
- GLAZE, BAKE, SERVE: In a microwaveable small bowl, add butter, Dijon and brown sugar. Microwave for 25 seconds and stir well to combine. Brush glaze on tops of the rolls. Immediately sprinkle on sesame seeds so they will stick. Place on buttered or lined pan. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into individual sliders along roll lines with serrated knife, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Beef options: Ask the deli counter for a taster - I find a lot of the deli beef is very too salty - if so, asked for a low sodium option. You can of course, use leftover beef, sliced very thinly. Instead of deli roast beef, try pastrami, corned beef, roast chicken or turkey.
- Choose your spread for flavor: If your eaters like different things, just go with mayonnaise and serve a few spreads on the side as dipping sauces. Or do half of the sliders with one spread, and half on the other.
- Horseradish aioli (horseradish + mayonnaise)
- Dijon mustard, maple Dijon or honey mustard
- Sriracha aioli (sriracha + mayo)
- Cranberry relish
- Pesto mixed with a little mayo
- Barbecue sauce - spicy or not
- Peach chutney (or any chutney)
- Slider Roll/bun options: Any small fluffy rolls that come packaged as 12, 16 or 24 will work - the recipe is portioned for smaller buns, approximately 2x2 inches/5x5 cm. If your rolls are on the larger side, increase the amount of deli beef, onions and cheese. The buns should be baked together so that the entire block can be cut horizontally in half. Good choices are Hawaiian sweet rolls, mini brioche dinner rolls (from Costco), potato rolls, mini hamburger buns, or dinner rolls.
- Cheese options: Melty cheese such as cheddar cheese slices, provolone cheese, gruyere, swiss cheese, fontina, pepper jack and American cheese is best. Shredded or sliced cheese are both fine. Some pre-shredded cheeses don't melt quite as well because they contain a lot of anti-caking preservatives. Alternatively, skip the cheese for a dairy-free option.
- Variations for glaze topping: Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce for a little extra zip. Or keep it simple and just brush on melted butter or spray with oil. But I recommend using the recipe glaze!
- To caramelize the onions: This will take an extra 30-40 minutes to create deep-flavored, rich, sweet, soft onions. Here is a recipe for caramelized onions.
- Make ahead/reheat/freeze:
- Leftover sliders can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
- Make 1 day ahead (or several hours ahead): Assemble sliders a day ahead without the butter glaze topping. Place in fridge well covered. When ready to serve, brush on the glaze and sesame seeds and bake.
- To freeze, make and assemble sliders. Freeze, well wrapped in a sealed bag for up to 3 months.
- To reheat from frozen: Place frozen sliders on a buttered baking sheet. Bake at 350F/177C, covered for 10 minutes and another 10 minutes uncovered or until heated through. Note: In my experience (you know I am all about simplified!), other heating options don't work as well. Microwaving for 30-40 seconds wrapped in parchment makes the bun very soggy. And heating the slider in the oven uncovered for 18-20 minutes makes the bun too crunchy and brown.
Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 146IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 2mg