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Italian sliders stacked up on a wooden cutting board.

Italian Sliders

Moist and packed with Italian flavor, these mini burgers will impress anyone from guests to the youngest eaters in your house. Freezing instructions included.

Yield: 8 sliders 1x
Prep: 15 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 25 minutes
Units:
Scale:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I prefer grass-fed)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup loosely fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 slider buns, sliced in half (gluten-free option: use gluten-free buns or ciabatta rolls)
  • 4 slices Provolone or mozzarella cheese, quartered
  • Optional toppings: fresh basil leaves and warm marinara sauce OR lettuce, tomato slices, mayonnaise, ketchup

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Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. Preheat a greased skillet over medium heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
  2. Place the ground beef, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, tomato paste, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Using clean hands, combine the ingredients until they are all well-incorporated into the beef, taking care not to compress the ingredients. 
  3. Shape the meat into 8 small patties of equal size and thickness. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
  4. Place the burgers on the grill or in the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes each side, until cooked through.
  5. Top each warm burger with a half slice of cheese and serve on buns with preferred toppings.

Freeze For Later:

Complete Steps 2 and 3. Then, place uncooked burgers in a gallon-sized freezer bag or container in single layers with parchment paper between layers. Put the buns in another gallon-sized freezer bag. Wrap cheese slices tightly in plastic wrap or foil and place in the bag with the buns. Freeze the burgers, cheese slices, and buns together in the freezer as a meal kit.

Prepare From Frozen:

Thaw in refrigerator overnight (preferred method) or using the cool water method (submerge freezer bag with the burgers in cold water until thawed, replacing water every 30 minutes). Cook according to instructions in Steps 4-5.


Notes/Tips

  • Gluten-Free Version: The only thing you’ll need to change is swap out the slider buns for a gluten-free bun or ciabatta roll.
  • Mix It Up: This recipe would make great meatballs! Use our cooking instructions from this meatball recipe if you want to do that!
  • Where We Get Our Beef: We both have been getting our grass-fed, grass-finished beef from ButcherBox for years. Read Rachel’s honest review of this meat subscription service and find their latest deal here.
© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: Italian Method: Stove Top