Leftover Meatloaf Sliders

Give your leftovers new life with this Meatloaf Sliders recipe. Featuring Hawaiian rolls, a tangy-sweet sauce, hearty leftover meatloaf, and crunchy fried onions, these sliders are as perfect for a quick weeknight dinner as they are for game day and cocktail parties.

Why You’ll Love This Meatloaf Slider Recipe:

• Repurpose Leftovers: Enjoy your favorite main dish, reimagined. This leftover meatloaf recipe features moist meat and a tangy sauce, giving you reason to look forward to clearing out the refrigerator. 
• Easy Dinner: It doesn’t get much simpler than this. With a handful of common ingredients and simple steps, you’ll have a family-friendly main dish on the table in less than 20 minutes! 
• Fan-Favorite Appetizer: Sliders are always a hit at cocktail and game day parties, and this meatloaf appetizer is no exception! These handheld sandwiches are the perfect way to start a party.

Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:

Ingredients

Slider Rolls - You can use your favorite type, such as brioche, white, or pretzel sliders. Hawaiian slider buns are my favorite for their light, pillowy texture and buttery-sweet flavor. 

Leftover Meatloaf - Use up leftover store-bought or homemade meatloaf. If you have extra sauce, you can use that, too. Otherwise, follow my directions to make fresh sauce. 

Fried Onions - These add crunch and savory flavor to the Hawaiian roll sliders, balancing out the sweet sauce. Use store-bought onions or you can even fry your own. 

Butter - To butter the bread, making it crispy and savory when toasted. You can use unsalted or salted butter.

Garlic Powder - This ingredient is added to the melted butter, making an easy garlic butter for toasting the buns. You'll also need a little for the meatloaf sauce, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Ketchup - The basis for the sweet and zesty meatloaf sauce. You will need three tablespoons. 

Brown Sugar - Just one tablespoon of packed dark brown sugar adds sweetness to the sauce, enhancing the leftover meatloaf’s flavor. If needed, you can swap light brown sugar or cane sugar. 

Apple Cider Vinegar - Adds a zippiness to the ketchup mixture, complementing the savory toasted slider buns. If needed, you can substitute distilled white vinegar. Just remember a little goes a long way!

Equipment: 

Small Mixing Bowls - These are used to mix the sauce ingredients and melt the butter. If needed, you can also use a cereal bowl. 

Serrated Knife - Slice the rolls without crushing them by using a serrated knife, also known as a bread knife. 

Pastry Brush - Use this to brush garlic butter onto the rolls. If you don’t have one, drizzle the butter on the rolls and gently spread it with a butter knife or the back of a spoon until evenly covered.

Baking Sheet - For toasting the rolls and sliders. You can use a rimmed or unrimmed sheet pan. 

Aluminum Foil - If desired, line the sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. 

Skillet (or plate) - Warms the leftover meatloaf evenly without drying it out. If needed, you can also warm it in the microwave.

Heat-Safe Spatula - You'll want this for flipping the meatloaf so it heats evenly- without burning your fingers.

How to Make Leftover Meatloaf Sliders 

Make the Sauce.

Mix the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder in a small mixing bowl until combined. You can use a whisk if you're feeling fancy, but a fork works just fine.

Make Garlic Butter. 

Slice the slider rolls in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, melt the butter on low heat. Mix in the garlic powder until combined, and brush it on both sides of the cut rolls. Place the rolls, cut side up, on the baking sheet. 

Reheat the Meatloaf.

Cut the meatloaf into ½-inch thick slices. Warm on a skillet or microwave on medium-low heat until warmed through. Cut the meatloaf into pieces to fit the sliders and place them on each bottom bun. 

Toast the Sliders. 

Spread one tablespoon of the sauce on each of the meatloaf slices. Leaving the sliders open-faced, toast them in an oven preheated to 350°F for 5-7 minutes, until the bread is lightly toasted and the sauce warmed.

Assemble and Serve. 

Sprinkle one tablespoon of fried onions on each meatloaf slider halve. Top with the toasted top bun halves and serve hot!

Recipe Success Tips

• Use leftover sauce or make homemade. If you have at least ¼ cup of leftover meatloaf glaze, brush the sliders before toasting. Otherwise, fresh sauce adds moisture and flavor to this leftover meatloaf idea. It’s simple to make, zesty, saucy, and sweet.
• Preheat the oven. Save time and guarantee even toasting by preheating the oven while you mix up the sauce and make the garlic butter. 
• Toast until golden brown. The sliders only need 5-7 minutes in the oven. Keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when the buns are golden brown and the sauce is warm. 
• Make a large batch. To make this recipe for cocktail parties, game day, and more, simply multiply the ingredients as desired and follow the recipe directions, increasing the number of sheet pans used and needed. For large crowds, you may need to toast the sliders in batches.

Serving Suggestions 

Make a complete and delicious meal by serving these mini meatloaf sliders with any of the following side dishes: 

• Instant Pot Boxed Mac and Cheese
• Air Fryer Zucchini and Squash
• Crockpot Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Leftover sliders keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 day. Store the meatloaf and buns separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days to keep the bread from getting soggy. 
• Freezing: Cool the sliders to room temperature, wrap them securely in plastic wrap without crushing the buns, and transfer them to a freezer-safe container before freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost the sliders overnight in the refrigerator.
• Reheating: For best results, warm assembled sliders wrapped in foil in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes until warmed. You can also warm them in the microwave on medium-low heat, but the texture of the bread will be slightly compromised.

FAQs

More Leftover Dinner Recipes 

• Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos
• Leftover Tri-Tip Steak Pasta
• Leftover Beef Pot Roast Quesadillas
• Leftover Pulled Pork Fried Rice 
• Leftover Tri-Tip Steak Nachos

Enjoy!

I hope you love these meatball sliders with crispy onions and that they become a family favorite for you. Be sure and come back and let me know how they went, I love hearing about your kitchen successes!

📖 Recipe