Pull Apart Nduja Meatball Sliders

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!

Ingredients

• Ground pork: The main protein for the meatballs, resulting in tender meatballs that can easily absorb the flavors.
• 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.
• 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 store-bought sauce.
• Arugula: Also known as rocket, is a leafy green vegetable with a peppery and slightly bitter taste.
• Walnuts: The buttery nut with rich, earthy flavors substitutes 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.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: 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. For the nduja, you can try substituting it with a spicy sausage or cured meat of your choice.
• Toppings: You can replace arugula with another leafy green such as spinach or basil and gruyere, gouda, or mild cheddar instead of fontina.

Step-by-step instructions

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 meatball 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 be exactly 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 in 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 it with pesto, sauteed peppers, 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!

For another amazing Italian sandwich, check out these Italian turkey burgers!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: You can prepare and cook the meatballs the day before. Before serving, assemble the sliders and bake them for a delicious, hot meal.
• Store: Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions

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Recipe

Print Recipe

Pull Apart Nduja Meatball Sliders

Yields 12 sliders

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pork, sandwich

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Nduja meatballs

• 1 pound ground pork
• ¼ pound nduja
• ⅓ cup panko
• ¼ cup grated onion
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups marinara sauce

Arugula pesto

• 2 cups arugula
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan
• ¼ cup toasted walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup olive oil

Remaining ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion thinly sliced
• 12 dinner rolls
• 6 ounces fontina cheese sliced
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Make the meatballs. Combine ground pork with nduja, panko, onion, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, and egg, mixing until well combined. Shape mixture into 12 meatballs and place in a baking dish. Bake meatballs for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
• Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.
• Pour marinara sauce over meatballs and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Make the pesto. In a food processor or blender, pulse together arugula with parmesan, walnuts, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well combined. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute sliced bell pepper and onion until softened and browned, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Increase oven to 350 degrees F.
• Carefully slice dinner rolls in half down the middle, keeping the rolls intact. Place bottom half on a baking sheet and spread 3 tablespoons pesto followed by sauteed peppers and onion. Place one meatball per roll and top with sliced fontina. Place remaining bread on top.
• Combine dried basil with oregano, parsley, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush melted butter on top of bread and sprinkle herb mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve while hot.

Notes

The pesto can be prepared up to 5 days in advance.

To make the sliders ahead of time, prepare and cook the meatballs the day before. Right before serving, assemble the meatballs and bake.