Turkey Cranberry Sliders are a heavenly combination of tender turkey, ham, sweet cranberry sauce, and melty cheese, all nestled between soft slider buns. Sounds fancy and complicated, but it isn’t difficult at all and is a fabulous way to use up holiday leftovers.
Instead of cooking the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas, pile those leftovers on the counter and layer your leftover ham and turkey into a delicious and simple dinner. This recipe not only uses leftover turkey, ham, and cranberry sauce, it also takes very little effort to make and doesn’t create a mess of dishes in the kitchen.
This basically makes it perfect for taking it easy after a big holiday meal! These are baked until golden, and the cheese is melty, for a delicious dinner or appetizer. These turkey sliders will surely be a hit with your family, all while providing a tasty way to clear some holiday leftovers out of the fridge.
In the spirit of keeping things simple, we will break this down into bite-sized chunks. We’ll review the ingredients you need, step-by-step instructions, and handy tips and tricks so you can enjoy these easy sliders.
Looking for more recipes to make with leftover turkey? Try turkey corn chowder, turkey soup with rice and air fryer turkey hand pies.
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🥪Ingredient Notes
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
- Hawaiian rolls
- Provolone cheese
- Ham: Use leftover spiral ham or deli sliced ham.
- Turkey: Use leftover Thanksgiving turkey or deli-sliced turkey.
- Bacon
- Cranberry sauce: Buy a can of jellied cranberry sauce or make my homemade cranberry sauce.
- Dijon mustard
- Unsalted butter
- Poppy seeds, dried minced onion, or everything bagel seasoning
🥣The Art of Assembling Your Turkey Cranberry Sliders
- Start off by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. While the oven’s heating up, slice your Hawaiian rolls in half and lay the bottom half in a baking dish.
- Then, layer the rolls with a slice of provolone, ham, turkey, and bacon, and finish with a cheese layer.
- Next, in a small bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard. This is the flavor bomb that will elevate your sliders from good to “holy moly, these are incredible!” Spread the cranberry mixture on the top half of the rolls and place them on your beautifully layered meat and cheese.
- Melt some butter in a bowl and brush melted butter all over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle on the poppy seeds and minced onion. Cover the dish with foil and bake these beauties for 5-10 minutes until the cheese melts and is delicious.
- Take the foil off and cook for another 5 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
🍴Serving Ideas
For starters, these sliders are a meal by themselves, really. But if you’re like me and love a well-rounded meal, a simple mixed greens salad, applesauce, or coleslaw would pair wonderfully with them.
These leftover sliders are also delicious with sweet potato fries or regular fries. Remember, the goal here is to keep this meal simple and stress-free.
💭How to Store
Wrap any leftovers tightly in aluminum foil or place them in an airtight container and pop them into the refrigerator. They should keep for 3-4 days, but they will likely disappear before then. To reheat, put the foil-wrapped sliders in the oven or air fryer for 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees F.
⭐Tips
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Don’t forget to cover these with the foil or they will burn on top – as I know from experience!
- Not a fan of provolone? Feel free to switch it out for your favorite slices of cheese. I’ve tried this recipe with Gouda and Havarti cheese, and both were delicious. I like a mild, melty cheese in this slider, so that the cranberry is the dominate taste.
- Don’t have both ham and turkey? No problem! You can use just one or the other to make turkey sandwiches or ham sandwiches, and it’ll still taste fabulous.
- I have used both slider rolls and dinner rolls to make this, depending on what I can find at the store.
- One of the best things about these sliders is that you can make them ahead of time. Just assemble the sandwiches, cover them tightly with foil, and pop them in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, heat them in the oven.
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Turkey Cranberry Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian rolls
- 12 slices provolone cheese
- 1/2 pound deli ham or leftover ham
- 1/2 pound deli turkey or leftover turkey
- 8-10 slices bacon
- ¾ cup cranberry sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
- Slice your Hawaiian rolls in half.12 Hawaiian rolls
- Place the bottom half in the prepared baking dish and layer with provolone, ham, turkey, bacon, and another layer of provolone cheese.12 slices provolone cheese, 1/2 pound deli ham, 1/2 pound deli turkey, 8-10 slices bacon
- In a small bowl, mix together the cranberry sauce and Dijon mustard.¾ cup cranberry sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Spread the cranberry mixture on the inside of the top half of the rolls.
- Place the top half of the rolls on the layer of meat and cheese.
- Put the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt it.2 tablespoons butter
- Use a pastry brush to coat the top of the rolls with butter mixture.
- Sprinkle with the poppy seeds and minced onion or bagel seasoning.1 teaspoon poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon minced dried onion
- Cover the baking dish and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
- Then, take the foil off and let it cook for an additional 5-8 minutes to brown the rolls.
Notes
- Store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Switch out the cheese for your favorite kind. Gouda or Swiss cheese works well in this recipe.
- A little sprinkle of parsley on top looks great.
- You can use just ham or just turkey if you prefer.
- This is a great way to use ham or turkey leftovers, especially around the holidays.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
