Italian Meatball Sliders

Hi, hello! I am still playing blogging catch-up and may be for a while longer, but I'm always happy when I get the chance to make a post! This is a yummy, yummy recipe that I can't believe I haven't posted sooner. We LOVED the sliders and fought over who got to take the leftovers for lunch. It's another Cooking Light dish that has became an instant favorite. Below is the recipe with a few of our modifications. I served this with a spinach salad with mozzarella, red bell pepper and balsamic dressing.

Italian Meatball Sliders
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Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, finely diced (or 1/4 cup chopped red onion)
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup panko
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp salt
8 ounces lean ground pork or turkey (I used turkey)
2 (4-ounce) links turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups favorite marinara sauce 
12 slider buns, toasted
8 oz sliced fresh mozzarella
12 basil leaves

Heat 1 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat, swirl to coat. Add garlic and shallots to pan; saute 3 minutes or until shallots are softened, stirring frequently.

Combine shallot mixture, ricotta and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 12 (1-inch) meatballs, flatten each meatball slightly.

Return pan to low-medium heat. Add remaining 2 tsp oil to pan. Add meatballs to pan; cook 6 minutes, turning once. Add marinara sauce, bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes of until meatballs are done.

Top bottom half of each bun with 1 1/2 tsp sauce, 1 slice fresh mozzarella, 1 meatball, 1 basil leaf and top with half of bun.

Enjoy this little delight!