Guy Fieri's Game Day Cheesy Meatball Sliders

Guy Fieri holding his slidersPhoto byEthan Miller/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment

Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri, aka ''Mr. Flavortown'' is known throughout the world for his exciting recipes and quirky personality. The host of 'DDD' is also known as a big time sports fan and with the NFL season around the corner, I thought this would be the perfect recipe to share. These ''game day sliders'' put Guy's two passions together in every delicious bite.

These can be made very simply by using your favorite pre-made jar tomato sauce OR you can make Guy's delicious red sauce, the ingedients are below...it's completely up to you! The sliders will come together when the hardy meatball drenched in a rich, Italian tomato sauce with melted mozzarella on top, and is assembled on a soft Hawaiian roll. It just doesn't get better than that!

Here is the recipe for ''Guy Fieri's Game Day Italian Cheesy Meatball Sliders'' from the Food Network website.

Here's the recipe for Guy's tomato sauce; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 small onion, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, sliced, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 2 sprigs fresh thyme and salt and freshly ground black pepper.

INGREDIENTS

Guy's Meatballs OR you can use pre-made meatballs.

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

8 ounces ground beef

8 ounces ground pork

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, sliced

8 leaves, fresh basil

*You will also need a package of 8 soft Hawaiian buns

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. For the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, thyme, 1 cup water, and some salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep warm.
2. For the meatballs: Soak the panko in the milk for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, some salt and pepper and the soaked panko. Mix well to combine; do not overwork. Form into eight 2-inch balls.
3. Set a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Sear the meatballs on all sides until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.
4. Remove the thyme sprigs from the tomato sauce; add the meatballs to the sauce. Spoon some sauce over the meatballs, then top them with slices of mozzarella. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the meatballs are cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. To assemble the sliders, load one meatball onto each bun. Top with a basil leaf (optional) and secure the bun top with a bamboo skewer. Serve on a large platter with extra sauce on the side.