Cuban Sandwich Sliders and the Joy of Easy Meals

At some point in the past few months I made a batch of Cuban Sandwich Sliders.

I have no idea why, or when.

All I know is that at some point in the craziness of life, school, and family of the past few months I made them and I photographed them.

Those pictures have been chilling on my camera ever since.

I didn't even download them.

What can I say...life's been a little crazy.

Another more, ahem, adult student and I were laughing with each other before class one day about the number of convenience foods we'd been relying on since school started- time to cook has been a luxury, most of my meals have gone un-photographed, and my goodness I certainly haven't had time to blog about them!

I have some catching up to do this summer, don't I?

Anyway, so I made these sandwiches.

I totally remember eating them, but that's about it.

Do you like small foods as much as me?

There's something so whimsical and fun about something made small.

Whether it's Mini King Cakes or Mini Pot Pies, I'm generally game to give it a try!

I've made Cuban sandwiches before- and they're delicious.  Last time I made them was years ago as I was in the throes of adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom.  After finding my rhythm with what was then my new baby I suddenly found myself looking for ways to keep myself busy.

I cleaned so much.

I cooked even more.

So last time I made cuban sandwiches they were slightly more involved than these guys.

I marinated and cooked the pork myself, I baked the cuban bread from scratch...

They were orgasmic.

I do not have the time nor desire to put that much effort into a sandwich these days!

Thankfully, this version is far more easy to throw together and still incredibly delicious.

Plus they're sliders, so they have that fun mini-food factor.  The perfect size for younger kids and get-togethers!

These start with a base of Hawaiian rolls (just like those Road Trip Sandwiches I wrote about a long time ago).  Who doesn't love Hawaiian rolls, right?

They're filled with dijon mustard, pickles, Swiss cheese, ham, and pork, just like you'd expect from a Cuban sandwich.  Finish them off in the oven and you have a delicious tray full of tasty sandwiches your family will love with so little effort.

These days those three little words are worth their weight in gold in my book. :-)

Cuban Sandwich Sliders

Modified slightly from Allrecipes.com

2 (12 count) packages Hawaiian bread rolls (such as King's®)

1/2 C butter, melted

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp onion powder

1 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

1 lb cooked pulled pork without sauce (I actually used sliced pork loin from the grocery store deli)

24 slices honey-cured deli ham

1/2 lb sliced Swiss cheese, or more as needed

48 dill pickle chips, patted dry

1. Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish or disposable aluminum pan.

2. Cut Hawaiian rolls in half. Arrange 24 bottom halves in the baking dish.

3. Mix melted butter, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, and poppy seeds together in a bowl. Brush 1/2 half the butter mixture over the bottom halves in the baking dish.

4. Layer pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and 2 pickle chips to each roll, in this order, and cover with tops of rolls. Brush remaining butter mixture over the tops. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

6. Bake sliders in the preheated oven, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and press down the tops of the sliders with a spatula to flatten. Bake until sliders are heated through and top is crispy, about 15 minutes more.