My offering for the blog today has quickly become one of my most favorite freezer meals ever! These Hawaiian sweet roll sliders are simple, delicious, and ridiculously easy to put together!! You can customize these and get an endless variety of flavors – these are so versatile!
Here are the main players…
For the sandwiches, you’ll need a package of sweet rolls (King’s Hawaiian or similar), sliced ham (thin sliced is better), sliced Swiss cheese and a bottle of poppy seed dressing.
The other plays will make their entrance in just a moment…
To start, take your rolls and carefully slice through the entire bunch, so you’re left with one large top piece and one large bottom piece.
Carefully separate your top and bottom pieces and lay them side by side.
Next you’ll spread your dressing on both pieces. You can use a bottle of honey mustard, but my family likes the honey mustard salad dressing because it is just a little sweeter. Plus I usually have plenty of it hanging out in my pantry or fridge. 🙂
Next, lay out your pieces of cheese to cover your bread. Looking good so far…
If you are making these for a potluck or outdoor picnic, you can cut the cheese into smaller sections that match up with each individual roll, so that the sandwiches can be pulled apart easily. But when we make these for home, I just lay the full slices (of both cheese and meat) on and then cut the sandwiches once they come out of the oven.
Next comes the ham. Layer it on the bottom half of your rolls. I used an entire package, and even still husband always claims it “needs” more, but I’ll let you decide for yourself how much to ad.
Carefully flip your top portion (with the cheese on it) and lay it over your meat.
At this point, you have two options – you can make these to bake now, or prep them for your freezer.
To prep these as a freezer meal, carefully pick up your giant sandwich and place in a freezer container.
I love these steam table pans – these are half size deeps. They are 9×13 and about 3 inches deep. I find mine at Sam’s Club. But if you’re not a Sam’s Club member or don’t have a Sam’s Club close by, you can find them online HERE (affiliate link), or at most restaurant supply stores. I’ve also seen them at dollar stores and Walmart, often labeled as a “roaster”.
If you want to skip the freezer and just make these right now (and who wouldn’t, I mean really?), place them in a foil-lined 9×13 baking dish. Or a steam table tray works, too!
Now, remember those other players we talked about?
Although I prefer course-ground or stone-ground mustard, you could use regular mustard in a pinch.
These guys get mixed together to make a lovely tasty topping for your sandwiches!
Melt your butter and then add in the other ingredients. Stir to combine and then…
Brush your topping onto your sandwiches. Don’t leave any of that buttery deliciousness in the bowl – you want it ALL on those sandwiches, every last drop!
Now, simply cover and label! (I get these aluminum lids for the steam tray pans at Sam’s Club, where oddly enough they sell the pans in a pack of 36 and the lids in a pack of 30…kinda like that 8 hot dogs and 10 buns deal…ha ha ha!) *still scratching my head on this one*
BUT – you don’t have to have the aluminum lids. You can cover with just regular ol’ aluminum foil and they will do just fine. No need to get fancy.
Be sure to include the date and reheating instructions!
These babies will live happily in your freezer for up to 2 months. But once you’ve tasted them, you’ll know you’ll probably never have to worry about them staying around that long. Promise.
When you’re ready to feast, pull your tray out of the freezer and allow it to thaw in your refrigerator overnight. Then, simply pop the tray into the oven and bake covered at 375 degrees Fahrenheit about 20-25 minutes.
Although I used a lot of pictures to help show steps, these really only take minutes to make! Don’t be afraid to try different combinations of meats and cheeses – whatever you or your family like! And you can change out the dressing, too. Try mayo, or ranch. Turkey and cheddar would be a yummy combination, or go wild with ranch dressing, sliced chicken, cheddar cheese and maybe even some bacon!
(For a smaller meal size if you’re only cooking for one or two, you can split this meal in half and place each half in two smaller trays. I found some trays that were about half the size of the normal ones, in a pack of 3, with lids, at the dollar store!)
- 1 package Hawaiian-style sweet rolls
- 9 oz thin-sliced deli ham
- 10 slices Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup poppy seed or honey mustard dressing
- 2 tablespoons butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon dry minced onion
- 1 teaspoon course-ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon poppy seeds
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Remove rolls from package, lay flat, and slice in two (so you have one single top piece and one bottom piece). Separate and lay side by side. Spread with dressing.
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Layer Swiss cheese slices over both sections of sandwiches, covering as much as possible.
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Layer ham over the bottom section of sandwiches. Carefully pick up top and flip over onto bottom section. Place sandwich rolls into aluminum pan. (Or if baking fresh, place into foil lined 9x13 dish.)
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In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir. Brush or pour over tops of sandwiches.
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Cover aluminum pan tightly with lid or aluminum foil. Label (be sure to include reheating instructions.) Place in freezer and store up to two months.
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Thaw overnight in refrigerator (skip this step if cooking from fresh).
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Bake in 375F oven, covered, for 20-25 minutes until centers are heated through and cheese has melted.
I went and got everything in the picture, but I am now confused. The directions say Honey Mustard, but in the picture it is Poppyseed dressing? What is the Poppyseed dressing for?
You can use either Poppy Seed or Honey Mustard. My family likes both, so I generally use whichever of the two that I have on hand at the time. If you want a little sweeter taste, go with the Poppy Seed. If you want a little more tang, go with the Honey Mustard. (I actually made several trays of the sandwiches that day, and took several different versions of the photos. I think I ran out of one of the dressings so I switched to the other on the next batch, and didn’t realize they weren’t consistent through the pictures. I apologize for any confusion.)
I’m wanting to make some freezer lunches in individual portions. Could i make this, cut up, and freeze individual portions to pop in the microwave?
Absolutely! The bread may not get as crispy as baking in the oven, but it should still work just fine. 🙂