Those of you who have known me awhile probably remember that in the past, especially in college, I was known as the grilled cheese queen. Grilled cheese sandwiches in any shape or form pretty much constituted my entire lunch and dinner menus, and ahem, maybe a breakfast or two as well. Still love ’em, but I definitely have widened my repertoire a bit. How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 35 minutes in the oven Equipment you’ll need: baking dish Servings: makes 12 rolls Okay, I confess that I still make a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches because sometimes that’s what I just really need to eat. Grilled cheese sandwiches are my comfort food, right behind popcorn. One of my favorites are these Parmesan crusted pepperoni grilled cheese sandwiches and I love making air fryer grilled cheese because they are so crisp and delicious! So when I take these ham and cheese sliders out of the oven, all crispy and gooey with melted cheese, I’m transported back to my grilled cheese days. Except! These are about a hundred times better than an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. This recipe will serve a hungry crowd, and you can easily double it if you need to. Serve them nice and hot right out of the oven, and you’ll be surprised at how quickly they disappear. Perfect for family get togethers any time of the year.
How To Make these ham and cheese sliders
I like to use sweet Hawaiian slider rolls for these ham and cheese sliders. They come packaged with 12 rolls all connected to each other, which makes this slider recipe really easy to prepare. Just keep them all connected, and slice them all at once horizontally, keeping the top and bottom halves intact, so that you have one big bottom and one big top. Okay, let me rephrase that, I didn’t mean to get all personal about bottoms and tops. Your SLIDER ROLLS will be in two big pieces, top and bottom. Phew! Spread each half with a mixture of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and honey. Put the bottom half in a baking pan. Then layer on the cheese, ham, and more cheese. I like a lot of cheese and I’m pretty generous with the ham, as well. You may use as much as you like but I would advise a fair amount of cheese. Everyone loves cheese and these sliders aren’t even trying to be a low-cal recipe so you might as well just go for it. Don’t worry about lining up the edges of ham and cheese with the individual rolls. Just layer it on. When you take these sliders out of the oven, you’ll use a sharp knife to cut each roll apart. Kind of like lasagna. Put the top half of the rolls over the cheese and ham. Mix up a tasty concoction of melted butter, more mustard, poppy seeds, dried onion, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce and brush it over the tops of the rolls. Some of it will run down the sides and into the cracks. Don’t worry, that’s just a lot of deliciousness making its way into the sliders. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about a half hour, uncover, and bake ten minutes more to crisp up the top. Cut into individual sliders and serve them nice and hot, with the cheese oozing out the sides.
Make It Your Own
There are a lot of ways you make these sliders your own special creation. My mom and I started talking about this, and we have all sorts of ideas. Here are just a few:
Switch up the meat or cheese. This one might be obvious, but you could use a different deli meat or cheese. Not a fan of Swiss cheese? Try cheddar. Not a fan of ham? Use deli turkey or chicken. Try turkey sliders (aka Rachel sandwiches) with turkey, Swiss, coleslaw, and Thousand Island dressing or pizza sliders with pepperoni and mozzarella. Can’t find Hawaiian slider rolls? Use what your grocery store bakery offers. Possible add-ins: Very thinly sliced apples, baby spinach leaves, apricot or raspberry preserves, caramelized onions, tomato or onion jam, or fig jam. Spread these on the buns in place of the mustard/mayo mixture, or along with it. Mustard options: A grainy mustard is really good with the ham and Swiss combination. You could use Dijon mustard, or horseradish, or whatever you have on hand. I wouldn’t advise regular yellow mustard, though. The mustard goes so well with the ham, so I wouldn’t advise making these without dijon mustard. Topping ideas: The topping could include more garlic, if you’re a garlic fan. Or make a sweeter tasting topping with brown sugar (¼ cup) added to the melted butter mixture. If you’re not fond of poppy seeds, omit them.
What Kind of Cheese Is Best with Ham?
There’s something about the mild, nutty sweetness of Swiss cheese that makes it a perfect partner to the saltiness of ham. The sharp tanginess of Cheddar is delicious, too. If you want to get fancy, try Gruyère.
Make Ahead Idea
Ham and cheese sliders can be made ahead. Prepare the rolls with the spread, meat, and cheese, covering the pan with foil. They can be refrigerated for up to one day. Prepare and spread the topping right before you put the sliders into the oven. Unbaked sliders can also be frozen for up to three months. Wrap securely before freezing so they don’t dry out. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Make the topping and bake as directed.
Reheating & Storage Tips
Refrigerate: If you have leftovers, wrap them well in foil and store in refrigerator for up to a couple of days. Reheat: Use your oven or toaster oven and bake the foil wrapped rolls at 350°F for 20 minutes or so, or until they’re heated through. Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this ham and cheese slider recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #47. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans. Quick-Start Guide!
