messy meatball sliders

don't be mad ... but they're not actually meatballs

In my humble opinion, eating any kind of sandwich with a meatball on it — a sub, a slider, whatever — is not an optimum experience. Flat bread, and a round filling? It ain’t right.

So I’ve made, uh, flat meatballs? But Caroline, that’s just a burger! Shhh. Don’t be so pragmatic. They’re meatball sliders.

They’re messy, they’re cheesy, they’re delicious, and they’re so quick and easy. Like really, really easy.

We’re going to start by making the world’s simplest meatball mixture. What do I love in my meatballs? Fresh herbs and parmesan cheese. Where can I find both of those things without doing any chopping or grating whatsoever? In pesto!

So we’re simply mixing some pesto, salt, and pepper into ground beef, smooshing it into one gigantic patty, baking it, then layering the giant patty onto King’s Hawaiian rolls with some more pesto, marinara, and fresh mozzarella. We’re topping our buns with everything bagel seasoning, which might seem a little odd but is actually the perfect touch with the sesame seeds and granulated garlic in there. Yum. YUM!

I hate leaving you guys with half-empty jars of things, so I made you a meal plan to best utilize the leftover pesto and marinara.

• Sunday: Messy meatball sliders

• Monday: Prosciutto pesto chicken (If you want, you can skip the cheese stuffing part since you had a cheesy night last night — just do the pesto and prosciutto part. The cauliflower mash is so good, but you could also just serve it with a simple salad or some roasted veggies.)

• Tuesday: You deserve a 10-minute win — make these saucy baked eggs to use up the leftover marinara.

• Wednesday: Sheet-pan chicken, cauliflower, and potatoes (Use leftover pesto instead of making the sauce in the recipe. Or if you already used all of the pesto, make this anyway and make the green sauce. It’s sooo gooood.)

• Thursday: Make quesadillas using last night’s leftovers! Chop up whatever’s left of the chicken, cauliflower, potatoes, and spinach. Toss it all in a bowl with some hot sauce, a little sour cream, and lots of cheese (whatever kind you have), and make quesadillas! I cook mine in a dry skillet over medium heat to ensure they get really toasty golden-brown on the outside but don’t burn before the cheese melts through on the inside.

The only cooking school tip I have for you this week is this: This recipe is incredibly easy. It requires quite literally zero cooking skills. So if you are the default cook in your family and you want a break — outsource this recipe. Email it to your spouse/partner/nanny right now. Ask them to make it and give yourself a night off of cooking.

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messy meatball sliders

Makes 12 sliders