Half the fun of serving and eating these Hawaiian ham and cheese sliders is the buttery exterior that coats the rolls. Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dried minced onions, and poppy seeds are combined with melted butter and then poured on the rolls before baking. The butter mixture adds flavor to every bite and helps the rolls become golden brown. For more easy appetizers, try my bruschetta recipe, stuffed mushrooms, or buffalo chicken dip.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Dijon Mustard – dijon blends smoothly into the butter mixture and adds a mild mustard flavor to the sliders. Use classic yellow mustard or spicy mustard if you prefer. Poppy Seeds – the poppy seeds contrast with the light golden brown color of the rolls and give the sandwiches a sophisticated appearance and a light crunch. Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – one 12-count package of sweet Hawaiian rolls is needed for this recipe, but you can easily double or even triple this recipe by scaling all the ingredients. The Hawaiian rolls are slightly sweet and stay moist and fluffy when baked. Ham – thinly sliced deli ham is ideal for this recipe, but you can also thinly slice leftover ham from a holiday meal if have leftovers. Honey baked ham would also work well for this recipe.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion, and poppy seeds; set aside.
- Cut the rolls in half crosswise through the center. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the prepared baking dish.
- Place half of the ham slices in an even layer over the rolls, overlapping as needed. Place the cheese slices in an even layer on the ham.
- Top the cheese with the remaining ham slices.
- Place the top half of the rolls on the ham.
- Pour the mustard mixture over the tops of the rolls and brush to evenly coat the top of the rolls. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Cut between each roll to make individual sliders and serve warm.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Try other meat and cheese combinations. If you don’t have ham and Swiss cheese, this recipe works with any cold-cut deli meat and many different cheeses. Try turkey with pepper jack cheese or smoked honey chicken with sharp cheddar cheese. You can also do one layer of ham and one layer of turkey. Leave the rolls connected. Assembly is a breeze if you slice the entire slab of rolls in half while leaving the rolls connected. This also helps the bread to stay soft and not become too dry while baking. Make this recipe with Thanksgiving leftovers. You can make this recipe with leftover dinner rolls and sliced honey ham, roast turkey, or even roast beef. Add even more flavor by spreading leftover cranberry sauce onto the cut sides of the bread. Let the butter mixture sit on the rolls for a few minutes before baking. After spreading the butter mixture on the rolls, allow it to sit for a few minutes before baking for the softest sandwiches. The melted butter mixture helps keep them moist while baking and gives the rolls bake up golden brown. Optional variation: use different mustard. If you like a little heat, use hot mustard instead of the Dijon, or add sliced jalapeno peppers between the cheese and ham when assembling. Sweet honey mustard is also a great option. You can also serve these with hot sauce, red pepper jelly, or hot honey for some extra spice. Optional variation: omit the poppy seeds. You can omit or substitute the poppy seeds in this easy recipe if you don’t have them or prefer not to use them. If you still want some color and texture on top of the rolls, you can use white or black sesame seeds or red pepper flakes in place of the poppy seeds or sprinkle some fresh chopped parsley on top of the cooked sliders.
If you’ve tried this recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
