We love cheeseburgers in this house, but to be quite honest, we don’t have anywhere around us that serve a great one.  And on top of that, I often find myself really disappointed with the quality of food when I eat out now-a-days.  However, these cheeseburger sliders with a garlic butter sesame seed top and beefy, cheesy filling are not only super simple to make, but they are absolutely delicious and our families favorite over getting fast food burgers now.  We probably eat them twice a month minimum!

One thing I find frustrating about trying to make burgers at home is that they often turn out too dry.  These do not!  They are practically fail proof because you are breaking up the ground beef in to little pieces that are cooked just enough to stay juicy and then they are encased from the top AND the bottom with gooey cheese. (I actually use three kinds.)  The meat is seasoned beautifully and that garlic butter baked in to the top bun is the pièce de résistance!

A couple of tips for this recipe:

• You can really use any rolls you like for these – My personal favorite is the 12 pack of Hawaiian dinner rolls, but we have used regular flavor dinner rolls or regular size brioche hamburger buns!  (If you use the bigger buns you will only need 6.)
• You want a little fat in these but you don’t want them dripping in fat, so I find 85/15 ground beef or even 90/10 works beautifully  If you use something like 70/30, you will most likely want to spoon out some of the fat in the pan.
• You can absolutely change up the cheeses, but make sure you have one or two melting cheeses for optimum gooiness!  I like sliced American on the bottom, (white or yellow is fine), and then shredded sharp and shredded Kraft Creamy Melt mozzarella on the top.  But I have also used Provolone or Gouda slices on the bottom and different shredded on the top.  Use what you have!
• Yes, you can use a different brand shredded mozzarella, but nothing melts better than the Kraft Creamy Melt with the little bit of cream cheese in it – it’s truly my favorite.
• Don’t put any toppings on the sliders until they come out of the oven.  You will find that your toppings will end up between cheesy meat stuck to the top and bottom buns – but it’s amazingly good.  Some of my family just add sauce, (ketchup, mustard, mayo or fry sauce), but I like a small piece of tomato, onion, lettuce and a pickle on mine as well.
• You absolutely can add some other fillings such as caramelized chopped onions or chopped crispy bacon on these to change them up a bit.  These two things can be added prior to baking in the oven.
• Johnny’s Garlic Spread Seasoning is one of my favorite things in my spice cabinet.  I get it at Costco or Sam’s because it’s the best price there, but if you need it delivered, you can grab it from Amazon.
• You can easily double this recipe for a crowd – I just put them on a baking sheet if I do that and cook them a few minutes longer.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4lb ground beef
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 6 slices American cheese (like Kraft)
• 1/2 cup shredded Kraft Creamy Melt Mozzarella Cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 12 Hawaiian dinner rolls (or other rolls to cover the bottom of a 9×13 pan)
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp Johnny’s garlic bread seasoning (or can substitute garlic salt)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish with butter.
2. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add your ground beef and sprinkle it with the onion powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika
3. Break up the ground beef as you brown it. When it’s done, set aside.
4. Do not separate your Hawaiian rolls – carefully cut the entire lot in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
5. Put the bottom half of the Hawaiian rolls on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
6. Place the six slices of cheese over the rolls.
7. Spoon your ground beef mixture over the sliced cheese.
8. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the ground beef.
9. Sprinkle the sharp cheddar cheese evenly over the top of the mozzarella cheese.
10. Place the top half of the Hawaiian rolls on the top of the cheeses.
11. Mix together the melted butter and Johnny’s garlic bread seasoning then brush over the top of each roll.
12. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
13. Bake in the oven uncovered for 14-16 minutes or until everything is melty and golden brown.