These sausage pepperoni pizza sliders are the perfect party mashup. Classic pizza ingredients like sauce, sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese are sandwiched between buttery, seasoned rolls to create sliders that taste like a pizza and garlic bread dinner.
Pizza and sliders are two classic party favorites that everyone loves. How many of us enjoyed a good pizza party as kids? Or even as adults? How many times have you dived into a baking dish full of cheesy sliders? See what I mean? I took these two delicious favorites and combined them into one delicious dish perfect for family dinners, parties, or any get-together. They have all the flavors of pizza and the sensibilities of sliders, and they are so, so good!
Sausage Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
These sliders start with soft, sweet Hawaiian rolls. I slather the inside with pizza sauce, then top with mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, and bell pepper. Then, I add the tops of the rolls, brush them with a garlic herb butter and bake them until the tops are golden and the inside is melty. That’s all there is to it. In just a few minutes, I have hot, ooey, gooey pizza sliders that have everyone coming back for more again and again.
What You’ll Love These Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
- They use simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store.
- They’re loaded with classic pizza and garlic bread flavors.
- They’re quick and easy, so you can make them for any occasion.
- Everyone loves pizza!
Ingredients
- Sweet Hawaiian Rolls: Hawaiian rolls are the classic choice for sliders.
- Pizza Sauce: Pizza sauce adds classic flavor and moisture to the filling.
- Toppings: Pepperoni, sausage, mozzarella cheese, and green bell peppers create a classic pizza topping mix for the sliders.
- Garlic Butter: Herbed garlic butter gives the rolls a flavor reminiscent of garlic bread that’s perfect with the pizza filling.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Flavor Variations
- If you don’t like spicy food, use mild Italian sausage.
- Use your favorite pizza meats like bacon, ground beef, or Canadian bacon.
- Try adding other pizza veggies like onions, mushrooms, or olives.
- Sprinkle a little parmesan on the sauce before adding the rest of the filling ingredients for more classic pizza flavor.
How to Make Sausage Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
1: Cook the sausage until no longer pink and set aside. Then, cook the bell pepper in the same pan until tender.
2: Place the bottom of the buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and generously brush the inside with pizza sauce.
3: Top with the pizza ingredients. Then, brush the insides of the top buns with more sauce and place them on top of the filling.
4: Brush the buns with a mix of butter, garlic, and seasonings.
5: Bake until the buns are golden and the inside is hot and melty.
Hint
The easiest way to slice your Hawaiian rolls is all at once. The rolls are connected in the package. Simply remove them in one piece and use a sharp, serrated bread knife to cut through all the rolls at once.
Storage
Refrigerate these pizza sliders for up to 3 days in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. For longer storage, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat the sliders, place them in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 until heated through.
What to Serve with Sausage Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
Serve these pizza sliders with French fries or chips. You can also pair them with marinara or ranch dressing for dipping. They also make a great addition to a pizza-themed spread with favorites like pizza, calzones, and breadsticks.
Tips
- Cook your sausage until no longer pink and no further. Overcooking the sausage will make it tough and rubbery.
- Cook the bell peppers until crisp but tender. They’ll continue to cook as the sliders bake.
- Hawaiian Rolls make the best sliders. They have a soft, fluffy texture and a slightly sweet flavor, perfect with the pizza filling.
- Be sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the bottoms of the buns from burning and for easy cleanup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are sliders?
At their inception, sliders were simply small hamburgers. These days, however, sliders can be any kind of hot, cheesy sandwich made on small buns.
How do you cut buns for sliders?
The easiest way to cut buns is all at once. Most buns are connected at their edges, and you have to pull them apart. Rather than cutting each bun individually, pull out the entire package of buns and cut them in half at one time with a sharp, serrated bread knife.
Why were my sliders soggy?
Sliders are made to be eaten immediately, and while they can be stored and reheated, the longer they sit, the more moisture the rolls absorb, leading to soggy buns.
Can I prevent soggy slider buns?
You can slow the absorption of moisture into your slider buns by toasting the insides of the buns. This creates a physical barrier that helps limit how much moisture from the filling is absorbed into the buns.
More Delicious Slider Recipes You’ll Enjoy
These chicken fried steak sliders are the perfect comfort food slider recipe made with crispy cube steak smothered in a homemade country gravy and sandwiched between soft Hawaiian rolls. The ultimate bite-size slider recipe.
Sausage Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground hot Italian sausage
- 6 ounce pepperoni slices
- 5 ounce mini pepperoni slices
- 14 ounce pizza sauce
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 16 ounce fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 24 count Hawaiian rolls
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or skillet, cook sausage until it is no longer pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté bell pepper until tender.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the bottom buns on the prepared baking sheet.
- Generously brush the inside of the buns with pizza sauce.
- Add the shredded mozzarella over the sauce followed by the pepperoni slices and crumbled, cooked sausage.
- Sprinkle the bell pepper over the top.
- Add the fresh mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Brush the inside top buns with pizza sauce and place on top.
- In a small bowl, melt butter. Stir garlic powder, oregano, and basil into the butter until combined.
- Brush butter mixture over the top buns and bake until the cheese is melty, approximately 10-12 minutes. Add additional butter mixture after the sliders are done baking right before serving.
Notes
- Cook your sausage until no longer pink and no further. Overcooking the sausage will make it tough and rubbery.
- Cook the bell peppers until crisp but tender. They’ll continue to cook as the sliders bake.
- Hawaiian Rolls make the best sliders. They have a soft, fluffy texture and a slightly sweet flavor, perfect with the pizza filling.
- Be sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the bottoms of the buns from burning and for easy cleanup.
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YUM! Every bite is a pizza party in my mouth. It’s a combo of pizza and garlic bread, and I LOVE IT!
Eating these sliders takes me back to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. I used to eat my weight in pepperoni pizza and garlic bread. Love this.
These were so delicious and so fun to make too! If you’re looking for an easy weekend meal, these sliders are it!
This was such a fun recipe to make with the kids! Perfect for a Friday night, the sliders were delicious, can’t wait to make them again.