Baked Ham And Swiss Cheese Sliders Recipe

Sure, you could have a regular-sized sandwich any day of the week, but you know what's so much better? A mini-sized sandwich, AKA a slider. Particularly perfect for soup and sandwich night at home or as snackables for football Sunday, sliders are the mini-meal everyone loves. This recipe, created by developer Michelle McGlinn, elevates the classic ham and cheese slider by using miniature pretzel buns and stone ground mustard. The pretzel bun offers a salty, dense, chewy exterior to melty, warm cheese and tangy mustard.

The best part of these mini sammies is how easily you can make a whole batch at once — just build the sandwiches in a baking dish, cover in salt, and bake until hot. In a mere 15 minutes you'll have hearty sandwiches for a (small) crowd, or perfectly-sized portions to serve alongside soup. Plus, these mini sandwiches are popular for the little ones in your family with small hands and smaller appetites. Young ones spooked by the pebbles in their mustard? Just swap for regular or leave out the condiments entirely. The ham and cheese alone will have anyone swooning.

For this recipe, you'll need pretzel buns, sliced deli ham, sliced Swiss cheese, stone ground mustard, salt, and water. Search for pretzel buns in the bakery section of the grocery store, where the fresh bread is made and stored.

As for the ham and cheese, use whatever you'd normally use for a cold cut sammy. A half pound of honey-baked ham will get you a hearty amount of meat on each slider, but for especially loaded sliders, feel free to use a whole pound. If you're not into Swiss, swap for Provolone or even white cheddar.

Stone ground mustard is found in the condiment aisle with the mustards and will be located closest to the Dijon. Stone ground has whole mustard seeds and a stronger flavor than regular mustard, but feel free to swap it out for classic yellow.

Get your oven preheating to 350 F. While the oven heats up, prep the sandwiches. Use a baking dish that can fit all your sliders, and don't be afraid to nestle the buns close together. Most pretzel buns won't come precut, so carefully slice through each bun with a serrated knife to make a top and bottom bun. Place all the bottoms in the baking dish and spoon mustard onto all of the tops.

If you're using thin-cut deli ham, your ham might not fold up nice and neatly. That's okay — no one will really see the ham once the cheese melts over it. Pile the ham onto the sandwiches, folding into quarters as needed, and place the Swiss cheese on top. If you love melty cheese, leave the Swiss as-is. For neater sandwiches, trim the cheese squares to fit with kitchen shears or a chef's knife.

Once the bottom of the sandwiches are built, add the mustard-covered tops and brush with water, followed by pretzel salt. After all, what pretzel (bun) in complete without salt? Then, it's time to bake, which should take only 15 minutes. Once the cheese is nice and melty, that's a pretty good sign that the sammies are ready to go.

Serve the sliders immediately, while the cheese is melty and every bite is full of warm ham. Because these are half-sized sandwiches, these make great company alongside split pea or tomato soup. If you're serving these as snacks for guests, serve with potato chips or homemade potato salad. These also make good meal prep, as the sliders can be stored unbaked in the refrigerator and warmed as needed for up to a week. You could also bake a batch and save the leftovers to reheat in the microwave later. These sliders are warm and comforting for any occasion, and are sure to fill hungry stomachs big and small!