Cajun BBQ Meatball Sliders make the perfect easy potluck or party food! They’re the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, creamy, and zesty with a twist.
This post is sponsored by Tony Chachere’s.
Cajun BBQ Meatball Sliders
These sliders are peak summer food. They’re actually just perfect anytime food, because they’re so good, but the BBQ flavors mixed with the crunchy and creamy lime slaw really make me think of summer.
These sliders will definitely make you think of backyard barbecues and the best tailgate game day food. They’d also be perfect for appetizers, for a potluck, for a crowd, for a party, or for dinner.
Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning adds the most amazing flavor to this dish. There’s spice (but not too much) and it perfectly balances the sweetness associated with barbecue sauce.
I love that Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning is designed to perfectly salt your food as well – that’s why you’ll notice that no salt is called for in this dish, Tony’s does that work for you!
If you’ve never tried this seasoning before, you’ve got to! You can buy Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning here.
What to Serve with Meatball Sliders
If you’re serving these sliders as an appetizer, I’d say they’re perfect as-is!
If you’re serving them as a main, I think they’re best with creamy cilantro slaw, fries, pickles, grilled corn, or a summery salad.
You could also add some cheese to these if you like. Just add a bit to the meatballs when they’re done and bake them for a few more minutes until the cheese melts. I don’t think these sliders need it, but it would be delicious.
What’s the Best Bread for Sliders
You have a few different options. My personal favorite bread for pull apart sliders is definitely Hawaiian rolls. You just can’t beat that bread for sliders!
If you can’t find Hawaiian rolls, dinner rolls and crescent rolls are also great options for sliders.
For those of you feeling a little adventurous, you can also use garlic bread. Just heat the garlic bread per the instructions, then stuff the bread with the slaw and BBQ meatballs and cut the bread into roughly 1” slices to accommodate one meatball per slice.
Depending on the type of roll you choose, you can either scoop a bit of the bread out of the top and serve them stuffed, or you can serve them like a traditional mini sandwich with the top and bottom pieces separate.
I prefer the first option because it holds together a bit better, so it’s easier to eat in social environments.
The stuffed option only works if the rolls you choose aren’t already pre-sliced.
If you love sliders, you may also enjoy my Breakfast Sliders Recipe or my Chicken Bacon and Ranch Sliders Recipe.
What You’ll Need
You only need a few basic kitchen tools to make this recipe.
The one that I think makes the biggest difference is a small cookie scoop. It makes it so easy to get perfectly sized meatballs, and it ensures that all of your meatballs are the same size. That’s super helpful because then all of your meatballs will have an even cooking time.
In addition to the cookie scoop, I also recommend:
- Using a meat thermometer to check and make sure that the internal temperature of the meatballs is 165 F.
- A microplane zester to easily zest your lime.
- Either parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat.
- A good quality baking sheet.
Cajun BBQ Meatball Sliders
Cajun BBQ Meatball Sliders make the perfect easy potluck or party food! They're the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, creamy, and zesty with a twist.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 ½ Tbsp Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
- 1 medium egg
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs (or oat flour)
- 1 medium clove garlic (minced)
- 3 Tbsp freshly grated onion
- ¼ cup milk
Slaw:
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 medium cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp lime zest
- ½ tsp Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
Sliders:
- 24 Hawaiian rolls or dinner roll buns (cut in half, with the tops still attached to each other and the bottoms still attached to each other)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
- 1 tsp dark brown sugar
Instructions
Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, garlic, grated onion, and milk.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, paprika, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and apple cider vinegar.
- Add just over half of the tomato mixture to the ground turkey mixture, and place the rest of the tomato mixture in the fridge.
- Mix the ground turkey mixture until it is completely combined.
- Onto a parchment paper or silicone mat lined baking sheet, scoop 24 evenly sized meatballs. I like to use a cookie scoop for this.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. Coat the meatballs in the remaining tomato mixture. I transfer the meatballs to a large bowl and then toss them with the tomato mixture. Any sauce remaining in the bowl can be scraped out and added to the tops of the meatballs that look the least coated.
- Turn the oven to 400 F and bake for an additional 10 minutes (or until the internal temperature of the meatballs reads at least 165 F on a meat thermometer and the center of the meatballs look fully cooked through when cut in half).
Slaw:
- In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, and Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the sauce to mix.
- Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Sliders:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add in the Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning and brown sugar, stir to combine.
- Place the slider buns on a baking sheet and brush with seasoned butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 5 minutes, or until warm.
- Remove the top half of the buns and place to the side. Add slaw and one meatball to each slider then replace the top half of the buns. Serve warm.
Notes
This recipe can easily be halved, quartered, or even doubled if you’d like a different number of sliders.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1 slider (1/24)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 7.8gSaturated Fat: 2.8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 47.6mgCarbohydrates: 21.7gNet Carbohydrates: 21.2gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 8.3gProtein: 9.1g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
If you try this recipe, please let me know what you thought in the comments or on Instagram! @keytomylime
Be sure to pin this recipe for later!
The next time you’re looking for the perfect easy and tasty recipe to feed a crowd, try making these Cajun BBQ Meatball Sliders.
2 thoughts on “Cajun BBQ Meatball Sliders with Zesty Lime Slaw”
My husband loved these, thank you.
Hi Cassie, So happy to hear you and your husband liked the meatball sliders! -Alexa