The thing about sliders is they are the perfect combination to be deadly. Disguised as ‘mini’ they quickly set off a woman’s natural born cuteness radar and attract us like bees to honey. But once you have her signed, sealed, and delivered next to you at the grill, you are allowed to eat more than your fair share because, well, they are mini. See? Perfect and dangerous all at the same time. These sliders are also loaded with pepperoni to heat up the night. Find the spiciest you can and use it to knock the flavor up a bit. Don’t settle for generic pre-sliced baggies of stale wanna be pepperoni. Go for the real deal. Your lady can even help with the prep, handling that log of cured meat for you.
Really, we could turn this little burger into a whole evening of fun… Not awkward. Not awkward at all.
Who’s with me?
Ingredients
- 1 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 7 oz stick pepperoni sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh basil minced
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce warmed
- mozarella cheese
- slider buns split
- additional fresh basil for topping if desired
Instructions
- Pulse 5 oz of the pepperoni and the garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor until finely minced. Set the remaining pepperoni aside.
- In a bowl, combine the ground beef, minced pepperoni, garlic, salt, pepper, and basil. Toss to mix and gently form into patties large enough for the slider rolls. Press your thumb into the center of each to make a small indentation. Cover and let rest in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Meanwhile, clean your grill grate and preheat it to medium high.
- Place patties on grill and cook 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once. Arrange buns, cut side facing up on cool side of grill to toast. Place a few slices of pepperoni on each and top with mozzarella slices. As it melts it will hide the pepperoni and melt up towards the tops of the buns.
- Serve the patties with a fresh basil leaf and a spoonful of warmed marinara sauce topped with the cheese bun.
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
ha it’s so true! Whenever I bring treats into the lab, everyone cuts them into small pieces to make themselves feel better, but in the end they end up eating more than if they had just taken the one bigger piece!
Diane says
These look tasty.
Denise says
Damn!
Christiane ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Gimme. Gimme. Gimme. Five….or more. Heading to the store for pepperoni today. I just can’t not.