Nothing conjures images of Americana summertime like the first bite of a delicious hamburger. The aroma of a freshly cooked burger coupled with the feeling of the sun's warm rays is simply unrivaled. It's nostalgic for good reason. Burgers have withstood the test of time and aren't easily replaced.
By Emily Malloy
Heck, burgers have become an important piece of American history. One of the first burgers written in history books was from an Oklahoma July 4th gathering in 1891 hosted by Oscar Weber Bilby and his wife Fanny. They paired their new fangled offering with root beer and ice cream to boot! It became such a popular tradition that they opened their own little burger shack in Tulsa. In spite of the debate as to the creator of the first authentic hamburger as we know it in America, July 4th celebrations would be lacking without a flattened ground beef patty surrounded by a fluffy bun.
We recently hosted a large gathering serving burgers as the main staple. Making 50+ hamburgers and side dishes without feeling overwhelmed seemed like an impossibility to me. Feeding a crowd should feel like a blessing not a burden. Alas-- there is a way of feeding a multitude with scrumptious burgers without a side of additional stress: oven-baked cheeseburger sliders!
This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or halved!
Oven-Baked Cheeseburger Sliders
Yields: 24 sliders
Time: 30+ minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds 80/20 ground beef or ground chuck
1 large egg
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
24 Hawaiian rolls
24+ dill pickle chips
12 slices sharp cheddar cheese, cut in half
2 tablespoons melted butter
Cooking spray
Condiments of your choice to serve!
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, Worcestershire, milk, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
3. Press the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish, making one large patty. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until medium doneness. Remove from oven. Set aside.
4. If you have another 9x13 baking dish at your disposal, coat with some more cooking spray. If you don't, gently remove the patty onto a baking sheet or dish, lightly clean the used baking dish (to clean it of any juices that may have cooked off) and coat it again with spray.
5. Layer the bottom of the baking dish with the bottom half of the slider buns, they will be right next to each other. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the large hamburger patty into 24 smaller squares, placing meat onto each roll bottom.
6. Spread the cheese slices over top of the patties. Top with a pickle slice. Place the top of the roll on top of the burger.
7. Brush the tops of the buns with the melted butter.
8. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the tops of the rolls nicely brown.
9. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings (or eat plain, as I enjoyed all the flavorings of the meat!).
Printable recipe HERE.