Pull Apart Nduja Meatball Sliders - Cherry on my Sundae (2024)

Jump to Recipe

Looking for a fun and delicious snack for your next gathering? Try these pull apart nduja meatball sliders with sauteed peppers, fontina cheese, and arugula pesto. They're sure to be a hit!

Watch how to make this

What makes this dish special

Every Monday, I start counting down the days until Friday. Yes, it's partly because I'm looking forward to the weekend. But it's also because Fridays are when I have more fun with my lunches. Most of the time I'm just craving something with cheese or carbs - my two loves. This week, I'm combining the two and whipping up pull apart nduja meatballs sliders. These sliders might be the fanciest sliders I've put together with sauteed peppers, nduja meatballs, melty fontina, and arugula pesto. And boy are they delicious!

Ingredients

• Ground pork: Although I used ground pork for this recipe, you can use any other type of ground meat including ground chicken, beef, turkey, or a combination of the meats.
• Nduja: A spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Italy. It's typically made with ground pork, herbs, and spices. You can find nduja in well-stocked grocery stores, Italian markets, or specialty food stores. If unavailable, you can try substituting it with a spicy sausage or cured meat of your choice.
• Panko: A type of Japanese breadcrumb that is coarser and lighter than traditional breadcrumbs. It provides a crisp and airy texture when used as a coating.
• Marinara sauce: A classic Italian tomato sauce that usually includes tomatoes, garlic, onions, and various herbs. You can use homemade or storebought sauce.
• Arugula: Also known as rocket, is a leafy green vegetable with a peppery and slightly bitter taste. If you're not a fan of arugula, you can use other leafy greens such as spinach or basil for a different flavor profile.
• Walnuts: The buttery nut with rich earthy flavors substitute the traditional pine nuts in this pesto.
• Dinner rolls: I used Hawaiian rolls for the dinner rolls but you can use any type of small bread roll or bun as a substitute for dinner rolls. Ideally, you want to use rolls that are still intact with one another to have the pull apart effect.
• Fontina cheese: A semi-soft Italian cheese with a mild, nutty flavor that melts well. You can also use gruyere, gouda, or mild cheddar.

How to make pull apart nduja meatball sliders

Step 1: Prepare meatballs

Ever since I saw nduja on the internet, I knew I had to try it. What is nduja? It's an Italian spicy sausage that's spreadable. The closest comparison I can think of is chorizo except nduja is softer and spicier thanks to the Calabrian chilies. I looked far and wide for this sausage and once I found it, I knew I had to incorporate it into a recipe.

And so here we are. These pull apart nduja meatballs sliders use nduja in the meatball mix to add an element of heat. If you can't find this particular sausage, you can substitute it with chorizo, but the result won't exactly be the same.

Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs and mix until well combined. Before you cook the meatballs, go ahead and cook a small amount on a frying pan. This way, you can check the seasoning and adjust it as needed before making the whole batch.

Shape and bake the meatballs for 10 minutes. Then, cover them in marinara sauce and continue to bake them at a lower oven temperature.

Step 2: Make the toppings

While the meatballs are cooking, make the pesto. All you have to do is blend everything in a food processor or Vitamix until smooth and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Easy peasy! You can also make the arugula pesto up to 5 days in advance.

Next, heat oil in a saute pan and saute sliced bell peppers and onion until softened and slightly charred. Remove the vegetables from the pan and let them cool.

Step 3: Assemble and bake

Now it's time to assemble the pull apart nduja meatball sliders. Slice a pack of 12 rolls in half. Try to keep the rolls intact while you assemble the sliders.

Place the bottom bun on a lined baking sheet and top them with pesto, sauteed peppers, and onions, meatballs, and fontina.

If your rolls are very soft, I recommend toasting the bottom bun before piling on the fillings. There's a lot of sauce from the pesto to the meatballs so it can get soggy if the bread is too soft.

Stack the other bread slice on top and brush the tops with melted butter. Sprinkle a generous amount of the herb and garlic seasoning on top and pop the sliders in the oven.

Bake the pull apart nduja meatball sliders for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is beautifully melted. Then, remove them from the oven and carefully pull apart the sliders. You can wait a couple of minutes before tearing in because the cheese will be very hot.

To say my cheese and carb cravings were satisfied would be an understatement. These sliders delivered so much more! The nduja meatballs were tender with the perfect amount of spice while the sweet peppers and herby pesto added more flavor. You really can't go wrong with a combo like this!

Frequently asked questions

More Italian sandwich recipes

Looking for more Italian sandwich ideas? Try these:

Recipe

More Sandwiches