Pepperoni Pizza Sliders

Pepperoni pizza is awesome. Sliders are awesome. So I decided to marry the two... and this is one happy couple. Still in their honeymoon phase. Chewy little sandwiches with all the flavors of pepperoni pizza. Grab one, grab two - and don't worry about dripping on your pants!

Since we're talking about pizza AND sliders here, feel free to go a little wild. Stuff whatever you want into these hand-held gems - things you like on your pizza - like mushrooms, olives, pineapple slices, bell peppers - whatever floats your boat.

The coolest thing about these sliders (aside from the spot-on flavor) is that you can line them up in a baking dish and warm them ALL at the same time. Imagine how perfect these will be for football parties, cocktail parties, kid's birthdays, and all other gatherings where you don't want to be stuck in the kitchen slaving over the grub! That means EVERY gathering for me!

*One tip - you'll notice that I brushed the slider rolls with olive oil before baking. That's so the bread doesn't dry out. But slider rolls vary - so if you want to skip that step, you certainly can. If you don't want to skip that step and want to use melted BUTTER instead, by all means...

Have fun with these - I mean, c'mon - it's clearly party food!

Pepperoni Pizza Sliders
This recipe is easy to double or triple for a crowd!

8 slider rolls
1 cup marinara or pizza sauce of choice
1 cup thinly sliced pepperoni of choice, including vegan pepperoni if that's your jam
6-8 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves, optional
Olive oil for brushing rolls (see note above*)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush the marinara sauce on the inside (both sides) of the slider rolls. Add as much as you want - a little or a lot. Top the sauce with the pepperoni and cheese slices. Add basil leaves if using.
Transfer the sliders to a shallow baking dish and brush the top with olive oil if desired. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese melts. Serve hot!

Serves 4