Easy Sliders: Make Ahead Mini Burgers
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You won’t have to stand over the grill. Make these mini burgers ahead and pop them in the oven before serving them to guests at your next party.
I have always been a wannabe biker chick. Over the past decade, I have worn out a few pairs of black Harley Davidson boots and I swoon over old, small two-wheelers like old 1970’s Hondas. I imagine myself on long trips, hair dirty and tangled from the wind, winding along unknown roads discovering the path less-traveled. In this mirage, I am wearing things made of leather and there are studs, tassels and chains involved.
Jump to my reality. My risk-averse nature has kept me from riding anything with two wheels that has too much oomph. I have, however, enjoyed my little Yamaha Zuma scooter for the past 7 years. Though I love wind in my hair, I love my brain in my skull even better so I don’t ride too fast and I never go without a helmet.
My biker dreams often pull me towards fashion choices and accessories that “feel the part.” For that reason, I was drawn to the Stella & Dot leather wrist cuffs and the awesome chain necklaces woven together with leather.
When I designed the menu for my Stella and Dot jewelry party, I immediately thought about pairing sliders with these tougher designs and then topping the burgers with slightly more upscale accoutrements – biker bar with a bit of refinement.
I didn’t want to be hovering over a grill since I also wanted to greet my guests and serve them up some tasty drinks. So, I found and honed this recipe for sliders that could be made ahead. Because the meat is cooked in a pan and then “sealed” together with cheese and mayo, these burgers are a little messy. But, I love the idea of a tray of mini burgers ready to slide into the oven and warm when needed.
Since the jewelry party, I have made these make ahead sliders for a number of parties. You can even make the meat mixture the evening before. Then, before your party, fill the buns in a 9 x 13 or lasagna pan, cover with foil, and keep them in the fridge for a few hours if needed before warming them in the oven. These little burgers disappear – they are true crowd pleasers!
How far ahead of my party can I make these mini burger sliders?
There are really three different stages to these burgers. You can prepare the meat and cheese filling two days ahead of your party or the night before your party. I suggest assembling the filling with cheese and buns the day of your party. Then, just warm in the oven before serving. Alternately, you can do all the steps at once just before your party!
Do I have to make cheeseburger sliders or can I leave the cheese out?
The shredded cheese that is mixed into the meat mixture really helps hold the ground beef together. And, the slice on the bottom of the bun helps keep the bun from getting soggy. SO, this recipe really is a cheeseburger recipe.
Are these sliders good for potluck and do they travel well?
Yes! Because you can do the first two steps ahead of time, you can take the tray of sliders to a different location for the final 30-minutes in the oven. Be sure that the mini burgers are packed quite snugly in the tray and covered with foil before you take them on the move. That should keep them intact and ready to go into someone else’s oven.
Are these sliders truly easy to make?
Some recipes that can be made ahead are a lot of work. These truly are very easy and anyone, even beginning cooks can manage this manage this recipe. They are actually filed with a ground beef mixture that is held together with mayonnaise and cheese. So they aren’t grilled and can be prepared easily in one large batch.
What toppings are best for these make ahead sliders?
The ground beef filling is quite savory thanks to the French onion soup mix. And, the cheese adds a lot of flavor as well. I like pickles or pickle relish to add some briny flavor and ketchup for sweetness. However, a spicy mustard or fresh onions would also be good. At your party, consider a condiment bar near the tray of mini burgers and let people dress up their own.
These make ahead sliders are ideal for football season, Superbowl parties, birthday gatherings, potlucks, game night, you name it… if you need an easy, make ahead mini burger, you’ve found it!
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Easy Sliders: Make Ahead Mini Burgers
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 24 sliders 1x
Description
Entertaining can be easy! Prepare these mini burgers ahead and then please the crowd with warm, delicious sliders when you are ready.
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) envelope of onion soup mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
12 slices of American cheese, cut in half (or cheese of your choice)
24 mini pretzel rolls, brioche rolls or dinner rolls
Dill pickle relish & specialty ketchup (or your favorite toppings)
Instructions
You can prepare these burgers ahead and then preheat oven and warm them when you are ready to serve.
To prepare the meat filling, which can be done the day before:
1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add ground beef and onion soup.
2. Stir and cook until beef is cooked through. Drain and discard any excess grease.
3. Remove from heat. Stir in the mayonnaise and shredded cheese. Set aside. At this point, you can store the meat mixture in the refrigerator overnight and proceed with the below steps the day of your party.
The day of your party or event:
4. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Split buns and put the bottom of the buns on the sheet.
5. Put a slice of cheese on the bottom of the bun. (This keeps the bun from getting soggy from the meat before baking.)
6. Top the buns with meat and then the top half of the bun. Cover with another sheet of foil. You can now put them in the refrigerator until you want to serve them.
When ready to serve:
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Bake the mini burgers covered in foil in the preheated oven until the sliders are heated through and cheese melts, about 30 minutes.
9. Top with your favorite toppings and serve.
Notes
I love pickle relish and ketchup on these sliders but you can top with any of your favorite things.
If you prepare through step 6 and have all your sliders in a pan covered in foil, you can easily take these to another house to heat and serve!
Made this recipe x3 for a party last night – everyone was asking for the recipe so I’m going to send them the link to your page :)
Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Hey, beautiful page however there is a issue whereby on occassion I am redirected to the main page when I view other topics in this web page.
Planning on making this for a party I’m hosting, thanks for the great recipe! To clarify, when you say “stir the mayonnaise and cheddar cheese”, did you mean “stir IN the mayonnaise and cheddar cheese”? Is in, into the meat? Just checking, thanks!!!
Yes, that’s right! Thanks for catching that missing work.
Hi there ! Just made these for the hundredth time, now I have a ‘reputation” for bringing them and people request…. I always add onions when cooking the hamburger, today I tried a new twist. I threw some sliced mushrooms in with hamburger (as well as onion) and used swiss cheese instead of cheddar. Holy moly! YUMMMMM. Peace,
Jen E.
I came across this recipe and plan to make them for a birthday party this weekend. Can’t wait!
The title is make-ahead sliders but the recipe says make and serve. Can you make them ahead and freeze them or refrigerate them and then reheat them later?
There are 3 steps. You can make the filling up to 2 days ahead. Assemble the sliders the day of your party but before your party. Then, all you have to do when you want to serve them is pop the tray of burgers in the oven for half an hour.