Description
These Baked Savory Pumpkin-Shaped Sliders are a fun and festive appetizer perfect for fall gatherings and Halloween parties. Ground beef cooked with onions, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce is nestled inside mini slider buns topped with cheddar cheese and a tangy mayo-ketchup-mustard sauce. The buns are shaped and decorated to look like little pumpkins using an egg wash, brown sugar pumpkin spice blend, pretzel sticks as stems, and fresh basil leaves for the pumpkin ‘leaves.’ Baked to golden perfection, these sliders offer a delicious blend of savory and slightly sweet fall-inspired flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Slider Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 8 slider buns
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp mustard
Decoration and Topping
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 8 pretzel sticks
- 8 small fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) to ensure it’s ready for baking the sliders.
- Cook Ground Beef: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, about 5-7 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.
- Sauté Aromatics: Add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet with the beef and sauté until the onions become translucent, enhancing the flavor of the meat.
- Season Beef Mixture: Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and ground black pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes to meld the flavors, then remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
- Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, mixing well to create a quick, tangy sauce for the sliders.
- Prepare Slider Buns: Cut the tops off each of the slider buns to create a flat surface for easy layering and shaping.
- Assemble Sliders: Spoon the beef mixture onto the bottom halves of the slider buns. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the beef and add a dollop of the mayo-ketchup-mustard sauce on top.
- Shape into Pumpkins: Place the tops back on the sliders and gently press and mold each bun into a round pumpkin shape by using your fingers to create grooves.
- Apply Egg Wash: Beat the egg and brush it evenly over the tops of the shaped sliders to give them a glossy finish after baking.
- Add Pumpkin Spice Sugar: Mix the brown sugar with the pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl, then generously sprinkle this blend over the egg-washed slider tops to add a sweet, spiced crust.
- Add Pumpkin Stems: Push one pretzel stick into the center top of each slider to resemble the pumpkin’s stem.
- Add Leaves: Gently place a small fresh basil leaf at the base of each pretzel stick for a decorative pumpkin leaf effect.
- Bake Sliders: Arrange the assembled sliders on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the sliders to cool slightly before serving, ensuring the flavors meld and they are safe to eat.
Notes
- For added moisture, you can mix a little grated onion or soaked breadcrumbs into the beef.
- Use a sharp knife to create pumpkin grooves gently; avoid tearing the buns.
- If pumpkin pie spice is unavailable, substitute with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- These sliders can be prepared ahead and baked just before serving.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute the ground beef with cooked lentils or plant-based ground meat.
