Italian Meatball Sliders

These make a fun little dinner and they are full of flavor. I jazzed up a store bought sauce, but you can make a homemade sauce if you'd like. Make a side of pasta to use for the extra sauce. The kids loved these! They thought it was a cool hamburger with lots of ketchup. Enjoy!

Italian Meatball Sliders

3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef
½ Cup finely chopped white onion
¼ Cup packed thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 Tablespoons finely chopped sun dried tomatoes, oil packed, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs (or you can make your own fresh crumbs)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk

Sauce
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ Cup finely chopped white onion
¼ Cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 jar of your favorite Pasta Sauce, I used Classico
¼ Cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

12 fresh basil leaves
½ Cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1. Place olive oil into 9x13 inch baking dish and swirl to coat bottom surface. Combine all meatball ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Take about ¼ Cup handful of meat mixture and roll into ball. Align all into baking sheet.
2. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Half way through bake time, use fork to flip meatballs.
3. Place olive oil into a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, sauce and basil leaves. Reduce heat to low and simmer until serving.
4. Brush insides of rolls with extra virgin olive oil and broil for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Place a basil leaf onto bottom roll, a meatball, a spoonful of marinara sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Close with top roll. Enjoy!

Makes about 12 little sliders