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Grilled Meatball Sliders are an easy, family-friendly dinner or party appetizer that comes together in about 20 minutes. Warm meatballs, marinara sauce, melty provolone, and buttery garlic slider rolls are assembled and finished right on the grill for an easy meal everyone loves.
If you need a quick dinner that doesn’t require much prep, this is it. And because we’re using pre-cooked meatballs, most of the work is simply assembling the sliders and letting the grill do the rest.
These meatball sliders have been in our weeknight rotation for years because they check all the boxes: they’re easy, they’re filling, and everyone can customize their own. They’re also a great option for a casual backyard gathering or game day.
And while you can absolutely make your own meatballs, there’s no shame in reaching for a package of frozen, fully cooked meatballs when you need dinner on the table fast. That’s exactly what this recipe is designed for.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Grilled Meatball Sliders
- They’re fast. You can get dinner on the table in about 20 minutes.
- Minimal prep. The meatballs are already cooked, so there’s no need to make them from scratch.
- The grill does the work. Everything gets assembled on a baking sheet and finished on the grill.
- They’re family-friendly. Meatballs, marinara, cheese, and buttery rolls are a pretty hard combination to beat.
- They’re great for entertaining. Make a whole tray at once and serve them straight from the grill.
- Easy to customize. Switch up the cheese, sauce, or meatballs depending on what you have.
Ingredients
The ingredient list is short and simple, which is exactly what I want from a quick weeknight dinner.
- Frozen, fully cooked meatballs: Beef, turkey, pork, or a combination all work. Just make sure they are fully cooked.
- Slider rolls: Hawaiian-style rolls are my favorite because they’re soft and slightly sweet, but any small dinner roll will work.
- Marinara or tomato sauce: Use your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce.
- Provolone cheese: Provolone melts beautifully and has enough flavor to stand up to the meatballs. Mozzarella is also a great option.
- Butter: Mixed with garlic and brushed over the rolls before grilling.
- Granulated garlic: Adds a little extra flavor to the buttery topping.
- Kosher salt: Just a small pinch for the garlic butter.
- Parmesan cheese: Optional, but a little grated Parmesan over the top is a nice finishing touch.
Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below.
Preparation
A little prep makes this recipe come together quickly once you start assembling.
- Preheat the grill to 350 degrees F.
- If your meatballs are frozen, warm or thaw them according to the package directions or gently warm them on the grill.
- Slice the entire package of slider rolls horizontally, keeping the rolls connected.
- Melt the butter and mix with the garlic and kosher salt.
- Have the marinara and cheese ready for assembly.
How to Make Grilled Meatball Sliders
These easy meatball sliders come together in minutes, and have a mere handful of ingredients!
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- Preheat the grill: Heat your grill to about 350 degrees F.
- Warm the meatballs: Place the frozen, fully cooked meatballs on the grill and warm them until heated through. Depending on the size of the meatballs and how frozen they are, this will take approximately 10–15 minutes.
- Prepare the rolls: Place the connected slider rolls on a baking sheet and carefully slice them horizontally, creating a top and bottom layer while keeping the rolls connected.
- Build the sliders: Spread marinara over the bottom half of the rolls. Place one warm meatball on each roll, then add the provolone cheese. Spoon a little more marinara over the top and place the top half of the rolls back in place.
- Make the garlic butter: Melt the butter and stir in the granulated garlic and kosher salt. Brush the mixture generously over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.
- Finish on the grill: Place the baking sheet with the assembled sliders on the grill. Close the lid and cook for about 8–10 minutes, or until the rolls are warm and toasted and the cheese is completely melted.
- Serve: Carefully separate the sliders and serve hot with extra marinara for dipping.
Expert Tip
Keep the rolls connected while you assemble and grill the sliders.
Rather than building each slider individually, slice the entire package of rolls in half horizontally and assemble everything at once. It makes the process much faster and keeps the sliders together while the cheese melts.
If you’re using larger meatballs, you may need to cut them in half so they fit better inside the rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Absolutely. Homemade meatballs work great here. Just make sure they are fully cooked before assembling the sliders. This recipe is written for convenience, so fully cooked frozen meatballs are an easy shortcut.
Yes! Provolone is my favorite, but mozzarella, fontina, or even a mild Italian cheese blend would work well.
Yes. Turkey and chicken meatballs work just as well as beef or pork. Choose whatever you like best.
Yes, you sure can! Assemble the sliders on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until the rolls are warm and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
You can assemble the sliders a few hours ahead of time and keep them covered in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to cook, place them on the grill and add a few extra minutes to the cooking time to account for the chilled ingredients.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven or air fryer so the rolls don’t become too soft.
What to Serve with Meatball Sliders
These are great on their own, but if you’re serving them as dinner or putting together a backyard spread, add a few simple sides:
- Grilled vegetables
- Grilled corn
- Roasted Potatoes
- Grilled Caesar Salad
- Marinara sauce for dipping
For a party, I’d put out a big tray of sliders with extra sauce for dipping and call it dinner.
About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbooks — Fire + Wine and Fire + Wine Backyard Pizza — and have been creating content for the IACP-nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
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Grilled Meatball Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pack pre-cooked frozen meatballs
- 1 12-pack slider rolls
- 1 1/2 cups marinara or tomato sauce
- 6 slices provolone cheese
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 pinch kosher salt (a scant 1/8 teaspoon)
- shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees.
- Warm the frozen meatballs on the grill until heated through, about 10–15 minutes. Alternatively, warm according to package directions.
- Place the slider rolls on a baking sheet and slice the entire package in half horizontally, keeping the rolls connected.
- Spread marinara over the bottom half of the rolls. Place one meatball on each roll, then top with the provolone cheese. Add a little more marinara and place the top half of the rolls back in place.
- Melt the butter and combine with granulated garlic and kosher salt. Brush over the tops of the rolls and sprinkle with Parmesan, if using.
- Place the baking sheet on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the rolls are warm and toasted and the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the grill, separate the sliders, and serve warm with extra marinara for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
