You can’t imagine how good a ham sandwich can be until you’ve tried Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders! Rolls stuffed with ham and cheese smothered in an onion poppyseed butter sauce baked until the cheese is melty, this American game-day favourite is excellent big-batch party food that is leftover Christmas ham-worthy! (Find more suggestions here).
Leftover Christmas ham recipe idea!
Wouldn’t it be great to re-purpose leftover Christmas ham to make something to ring in the new year?? The answer is here – Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders!!
If you’re wrinkling your nose wondering why is she so excited about a ham sandwich??! – here’s why: because this is not your usual boring ham sandwich. This is a ham sandwich dialled up to 10 by baking it smothered in a savoury seasoned onion butter until the cheese is oozy, the bread is crusty and it’s soaked up the butter sauce.
It’s not something I made up, though I’d love to take credit for it! It’s a popular American party-food favourite. Excellent big-batch food that’s a crowd pleaser, easy and economical to make that can be eaten with your hands. Ticks a lot of boxes!
Recipes for ham and cheese sliders are pretty standard, involving – well, ham, and cheese (I know, you’re shocked), buns and a butter mixture seasoned with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and onion (sometimes fresh, sometimes dehydrated).
So there’s nothing groundbreaking with the ingredients I’ve used but I do have some specific steps I take during the making process that aren’t standard. 🙂 With good reason though, relating to cheese melting and butter soakage. These are important issues!!
What you need for Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
I’m sharing this recipe with leftover Christmas Glazed Ham in mind. Though truthfully, I’ve always just made this with boring old deli-ham.
Filling and Onion Poppyseed Sauce
For the filling:
Ham – As noted above, this recipe was shared with the intention of using leftover Christmas Ham! But you can use any ham you want. I like using shaved ham so you can pile layers and layers on.
Swiss cheese – This is the classic cheese though you can use any melting cheese you want, such as cheddar, tasty, gruyere, Monterey Jack, Colby (though I personally wouldn’t use mozzarella because it’s not flavoured enough). While I used pre-cut slices for convenience, you can cut or shred your own.
American mustard – for spreading on the buns. This is the bright yellow stuff that comes in squeezy bottles that’s tangy and not spicy. You can substitute with any other smooth mustard though if you use a mustard like Dijon, you won’t have the same signature yellowy tang, plus it’s more expensive. ⚠️ Just don’t use hot English mustard. Too spicy!!
For the Onion Poppyseed sauce:
Unsalted butter – melted
Poppyseeds – Traditionally used, adds nuttiness and visual effect, plus you get to make fun of everybody who gets the seeds stuck in their teeth. But don’t make a special trip just to find them. Worth making without!
Finely chopped onion – Just standard brown onions, or substitute with white onion for eschallots (US: shallots, the baby onions).
Salt, pepper and garlic powder – Flavourings / seasoning.
More American mustard! For the signature tang and colour.
The bread
As for the bread, you just need a slab of soft white rolls that are stuck together that measure around 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ so it fits snugly in a standard size pan. The rolls pictured below are from Bakers Delight (an Australian bakery chain), 12 rolls is the perfect size. If you’re in the states, 1lb of Hawaiian rolls (12 large or 24 small) are literally the perfect size.
Soft is best because the onion butter soaks in better than using crusty, chewy artisan bread (like sourdough) and the whole sandwich just kind of melds together nicely. White is traditional through if you’re feeling the need to be a bit virtuous, wholemeal bread is fine too.
How to make Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
There’s one thing I do differently from the usual, and that is to give the cheese melting a head start by baking it without the lid first. Once you put the lid on, this massively slows down the cheese melting process – from cold, it takes an hour, by which time the bread on the edge of the pan is far too crusty and dry. In fact, if you look closely at most Ham and Cheese Slider recipes online, the cheese is not melted except on the outer edges. That doesn’t work for me!! 🙅🏻♀️
Split the slab of bread in half, keeping the rolls stuck together so you can bake in one piece.
Spread the base and lid with mustard.
Top with ham;
Then cover with cheese.
Bake without the lid for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted;
Butter sauce – Meanwhile, mix together the Savoury Butter ingredients.
Remove the sliders from the oven. Melty cheese, hurrah!
Top with the mustard-smeared lid.
Smother with the Onion Poppyseed Sauce;
Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes;
Pierce for soakage – Remove foil then stab the crevices where butter is pool to encourage it to soak into the bread;
Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the top is crusty. Then cut and serve!
Serve hot
I’ve seen some recipes call for the sliders to be left to cool before serving, during which time all that effort to melt the cheese is undone.
If that’s your preference, go right ahead! But for me, eating it while the cheese is oozy and the butter is shiny and the ham is warm and the bread is soft and cosy…. That is an eating experience that is pure joy. Watch the video. You’ll see how happy to makes me. And then, it’s your turn!! 😇 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders
Ingredients
Sliders:
- 12 standard or 24 small soft white roll slab (23 x 33cm / 9 x 13" slab) – Note 1
- 1/3 cup American mustard (ie bright yellow stuff) – Note 2
- 350g/ 12 oz ham , shaved or thinly sliced (up to 500g/1lb, Note 3)
- 250g/ 8 oz Swiss cheese or other melting cheese slices (10 – 12 slices)
Onion poppyseed butter:
- 100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter , melted
- 1/4 onion , finely chopped
- 2 tbsp American mustard (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp poppyseeds (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder (sub fresh garlic, finely minced)
- 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced). Line the base of a 23 x 33cm / 13 x 9" pan with paper (Note 5)
- Savoury Butter – Mix ingredients together.
- Assemble base – Cut the slab of rolls in half horizontally. Spread base and lid with the 1/3 cup mustard. Place bread in pan, top with ham then cheese. NO LID YET!
- Bake topless – Bake 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. (Note 6)
- Smother – Remove bread from oven. Top with bread lid, pour/spoon over butter, leaving no patch naked.
- Bake covered – Cover with foil, bake 20 minutes.
- Pierce for soakage – Remove foil. Pierce the intersections where the corners of the rolls meet to encourage pooled butter to soak into the bread.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is crusty.
- Cut while hot then serve!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More slider-type things that make excellent party food
Life of Dozer
Shot of the year? Mum swimming towards champagne and Dozer swimming towards mum!
These were great. I added a couple of slices of pickle on each roll after they were baked(just pried the tops open) added a nice crunchy zing.
I’ve made these for years and wrap each sandwich individually in foil before baking. Never had a problem with the cheese melting. Delicious!
Really, really good. I made for our annual Christmas baking day. My niece is not a mustard person and didn’t like. About a week later I made a smaller batch and tried other options noted in your comments section (mayonnaise, horseradish, etc). Gotta say the full top and bottom yellow mustard was the best. And, that butter sauce was great.
u and your recipes are totally sensational!!! Did the pav for xmas thanks heaps xx
These look amazing. Though, I am not keen on mustard. American mustard can be quite overpowering. So I was thinking, a nice relish would be delicious. Or some chilli jam? Possibilities are endless.
Fed these to the band and the guys loved them! Thanks Nagi
Oh, I get it now. The SANDWICHES should be topless! I’ll put on a shirt next time.
Absolutely brilliant recipe. I made some for my tradie son & his team today. The apprentice was getting assessed by his trainer who also had one & said it was the best ham & cheese roll he had ever had! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
I made these for my husband’s surprise Birthday/Celebration of life ( whiles he’s alive ) I used Dijon mustard and sesame seeds they were gone before I walked away . So I made more tonight made black forest ham & turkey with Swiss cheese SO good the mustard made a big difference
I prepared these for a party I hosted, and they were a huge success. I used 24 small dinner rolls, which fit perfectly in my roasting pan. I made them up to step 3 and then froze them. The day before the party, I defrosted them and baked them according to the rest of the recipe. I also made six rolls with just cheese for a vegetarian option. Everyone loved them!
These are luscious, I make them for weekday lunches for my husband and I. Here in the UK I use a slab of 6 small brioche rolls. In fact I’m making them this week! 😋
Need to cook this for a group of halal people. What would be the best substitute for ham?
I made these for a party I hosted. They were a big hit. I used 24 small Bakers Delight dinner rolls which fit perfectly in the IKEA Koncis roasting pan. I made them to step 3 and froze. defrosted day ahead and then baked as per rest of recipe. I made 6 just cheese for a vego option. Everyone enjoyed!!
So delicious. In the southern US these are called Funeral Sandwiches. It’s kind of dark but they are really comforting.
I’ve never heard these called funeral sandwiches and I’ve lived in the South my whole life. More than 40 years ago, someone shared the recipe with me. A major difference, the butter was not melted, but softened then mixed with the other ingredients . This spread was then spread on the inside of the rolls. The rolls were a “Pepperidge Farm” which were not a sweet roll, but a savory roll.
Same. I was born and raised in the American South and never heard these sandwiches called “Funeral Sandwiches.”
Thanks Nagi!!! I’ve made many of these kinds of twice baked sliders over the years (we love them with Mississippi Pot Roast and roasted peppers inside, or sweet and spicy bbq.. so yummy!) We also love the ham and cheese versions but I’ve never thought to add actual prepared mustard to the butter topping, nor have I ever seen baking instructions like yours to help with the cheese melting and the butter really seeping into the sammies. Great tips and a great recipe! I used yellow mustard inside, grainy mustard in the butter, and sesame seeds instead of poppy. These are our preferences but others may like to try it too because it’s super yummy. Not a lot can compete with ham and mustard but toasted poppy seeds make their presence known. 🙂
Made these for Easter brunch and they were an absolute hit! Sooo tasty and super easy to make.
Word of caution to those in the US who find this recipe, like I did. There’s a really good chance that US chefs will use the ubiquitous King’s Hawaiian rolls for this recipe, and they are smaller in both width, length (they fit easily into a 11″ x 7″ pan) and height than the rolls Nagi has access to in Australia. If the recipe is followed as written here, and King’s are used, the sandwiches will be very soggy and sad; mine were. Flavors were great; just too saucy.
My recommendation–and what I’ll do next time around–is reduce the sauce recipe down to 2/3 or as little as 1/2. With the mustard in the ‘Sliders’ ingredients, reduce that 1/6th of a cup (or maybe just round up to 3 TBS). Less cheese and ham will be needed, as well.
Thank you Mark. Very helpful. Just bought dinner rolls here in Canada and they also fit easily into an 11 x 7 pan. Will make them as suggested with the reduced sauce and mustard amounts so I won’t drown them.
Thank you for the great recipe we had them for lunch/dinner I didn’t have poppy seeds but I had everything bagel seasoning instead it was delicious my husband gave it two thumbs up 👍👍
Can you prep this ahead of time?
I made them to step 3 and froze. defrosted day ahead and then baked as per rest of recipe. Worked fine!!
I’ve made many of these (what I call twice baked sliders.. because I also make the rolls homemade) with many, many different types of fillings and different seasonings in the butter. Being a baker, I would say, you can make these ahead of time if you are using store bought rolls. That is, not fresh bakery rolls or those you’ve made yourself because even just a day later, the bread will not be fresh and as delicious as it could be. If made using commercially made rolls, they would usually have preservatives to keep the rolls soft enough to make this a day ahead. However, you’d want to simply assemble the sandwiches, adding the mustard to the bottom bread but not to the top. The reason for this is that you will not want to add the butter topping until you are ready for the 2nd round of baking, and in this case, you may as well add the mustard to the top rolls during the 1st round of baking while the cheese is melting.
These are delicious! Do you think these could be made ahead? Like in the morning for lunchtime hour.