Baked Cheesy Meatball Sliders with Pesto

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, pesto, and egg. Mix lightly but thoroughly.

2. 2

   Shape the mixture into 12 equal-sized meatballs and place them on a greased rack in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake until browned and a thermometer inserted into the center of each meatball reads 160°F, about 35 minutes.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, toss the baked meatballs with the pasta sauce.

4. 4

   Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally without separating the individual rolls, creating one single top half and one single bottom half. Arrange the bottom half in a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with half of the mozzarella cheese slices and sprinkle with oregano. Add the meatballs and sauce, then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese slices and the top half of the rolls.

5. 5

   In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Brush the mixture over the top of the buns. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.

6. 6

   Uncover the dish and sprinkle the sliders with Parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with fresh basil and serve.