French Onion Beef Sliders For A Crowd

Daaaamn, Morgan! Back at it again with the white vans french onion soup spin-offs!

… Is what I imagine you’re yelling at your screen right now. Because if there’s one thing that I most certainly am, it’s hip to the viral videos of 10 months ago. And if there’s another, it’s consistent. As in I’m consistently trying to figure out to infuse crazy beefy flavor, sweet caramelized onions, and gooey gruyere into as many dishes as one human can handle before literally morphing into a gigantic beef stock soaked crouton.

I’ve made a lot of french onion inspired recipes. For example, I’ve posted French Onion Soup Sticks, French Onion Beef Stroganoff, French Onion Drop Biscuits, and Waffled French Onion Soup. However, I’m pretty sure that this one right here is the reigning king of all things french onion. Friends, meet French Onion Beef Sliders.

Like all true sliders, these French Onion Beef Sliders are cooked with onions. However, this time, they’ve been lightly caramelized first, then mixed in with the seasoned ground beef as it cooks.

I’m also stretching the definition of sliders here a teeeeeny bit, because I don’t press the beef into actual patties. In order to make these as simple as possible to cook for a crowd, I break apart the beef as it browns and then distribute the crumbles and onions evenly over a baking sheet full of mini bun bottoms. Once the gruyere I place on top melts, no one’s the wiser!

Speaking of which, I really LOAD on the gruyere. Not only does it help to hold the beef together in a faux-patty, but it really solidifies that french onion flavor. Plus, it looks super decadent when your guests pull them apart.

Exhibit A:

Or perhaps that’s Exhibit B, since the first photo is also a pull-apart picture. But every time you see a picture of that gooey cheese, it feels like the first time, doesn’t it?

It feels like the very first time.

You’d think that once I got the buns, beef, caramelized onions, and gruyere piled up, I’d be done, right? But there’s another quick addition before popping these babies into the oven that makes all the difference in the world: the beefy butter.

I stir beef base (such as Better than Bouillon) into melted butter, along with a bit of Worcestershire sauce, and then I brush it all over the tops of the burgers. Right after brushing the butter on, I sprinkle the sliders with garlic powder, onion powder, fresh thyme, and sesame seeds. This small step really kicks things up a notch.

In the end, I have to tell you that these were one of the best-received appetizers I’ve ever made. Honestly!

I brought them to my friend Jackie’s house for New Year’s Eve, where they were obliterated within the first hour. Mind you, Jackie is the type of person who prepares thirty-five times too much food for the crowd she expects, and then worries that she still doesn’t have enough, so she goes out and buys more. The food at this little get-together could have fed the people from every party in that whole town and she still probably would have had some leftovers. So obviously I was feeling pretty good as people were passing over the other (very delicious) appetizer options to grab their second slider. And even more so when they were running to tell other guests to try one before they were all gone.

But don’t just take my word for it. Make these French Onion Beef Sliders for your next event and see for yourself how quickly they fly off the table. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to take a photo and tag #hostthetoast on Instagram. They’ll be gone in a flash, so you’ve gotta get that photo memento. Plus, they’ll show up on the You Made It page, so I can spend my days drooling over them. 

French Onion Beef Sliders For A Crowd

---

• Author: Morgan
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 24 sliders

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, divided
• 2 large sweet onions, sliced
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons beef base (such as Better than Boullion), divided
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, divided
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 24 slider buns
• 12-16 ounces gruyere cheese, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

---

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 25-30 minutes. If the onions start to look dry or burnt, add a tablespoon of water to the pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with half of the beef base and half of the Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the beef to the skillet full of onions. Increase heat to medium-high and brown the beef, breaking it up and mixing with the onions as you go. Once browned, drain off excess grease.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Separate the tops from the bottoms of the slider buns. Fit the slider bottom buns tightly on the baking sheet.
5. Evenly distribute the beef and onion mixture over the bottom buns. Top with the gruyere cheese. Cover with the top buns.
6. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter with the remaining beef base. Stir in the remaining Worcestershire sauce and continue to mix until well-combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the beefy butter mixture over the top buns. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, thyme, onion powder, and garlic powder.
7. Bake the sliders until the cheese is fully melted and the tops of the rolls are lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

The post French Onion Beef Sliders For A Crowd appeared first on Host The Toast.