| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 15 sliders |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound mortadella, diced small
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup raw shelled pistachios
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 12 slider potato buns
- 1 cup baby arugula
Instructions
- For the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Combine the cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, oregano, lemon zest, salt and egg in a medium bowl. Add the pork and mortadella and gently fold the mixture until fully and evenly combined.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil on a small rimmed baking sheet. Scoop the mixture into 12 golf-ball sized balls and roll until smooth. Place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil and bake, 15 minutes.
- For the sauce: Meanwhile, pulse the pistachios in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the basil, parsley and salt and pulse to combine. And the olive oil and 1/4 cup cold water and puree until it’s a relatively smooth paste. Add the cheese and pulse to combine.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and spread a teaspoon of pesto on each meatball. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- For the sliders: Spread a little pesto on the top and bottom of each bun. Place a pinch of arugula on the bottom and a meatball on the arugula. Top with the top half of the buns and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 15 servings |
| Calories | 452 |
| Total Fat | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 21 g |
| Cholesterol | 53 mg |
| Sodium | 590 mg |
Reviews
Great recipe. I’ve made it several times with great success. I’ve even experimented with half ground pork and half ground beef. Either way the sliders were delicious. The mortadello gives a great umami flavor. The pesto is very rich so go easy on it. I’ve also experimented with different slider buns. Stay away from anything sweet like king’s hawaiian. The potato buns cut the richness a little. Overall this recipe is something to try if you want decadence.
Yikes. This was not good at all. The texture of the diced mortadella was so off-putting to me, like biting down on gristle or something, and the pork itself needed way more seasoning than just oregano and cheese. The pistachio pesto is delicious and I’ll use that on some pasta or in some soup or something. You win some, you lose some. That’s the fun of cooking and exploring new concepts on food. This just missed the mark for me.
The chef in the episode used onion, carrot, and celery in the meatballs. Where is that recipe?
Delicious! Made it for a group of friends for a game day and they all raves about these sliders! Will definitely make again!