The Super Bowl is not only a time for football and halftime show entertainment, but also a time to eat some food. While many people go to a Super Bowl party to watch the football game, I mainly go for the food.

One dish that will be a hit at your next party will be meatball sliders. They are tender and meaty mini sandwiches that will melt in your mouth with one bite.

Because of my gluten-free diet restrictions, I don’t usually get to enjoy dishes like meatball sliders because the recipes usually calls for ingredients that contain wheat. The sliders are put on baguettes or rolls, and sometimes the meatballs are made with bread crumbs, which contains wheat. Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley and rye and for anyone who has a gluten allergy or suffers from Celiac disease, eating any food that contains gluten or wheat can be fatal.

This year, I didn’t want to be deprived of all the good food while watching the football game at my parents‘ Super Bowl party, so I decided that I would bring my own dish and turn a regular meatball slider recipe into a gluten-free recipe.

For the recipe, you can use frozen meatballs or make homemade meatballs. Making homemade meatballs will be better for those who need to eat gluten-free because you can use ingredients that do not contain wheat. It is also fun to put your own twist on this recipe.

These savory sliders will make you want to eat more than one after the first bite and will be very popular with friends.

This recipe was adapted from http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.

Gluten-free Meatball

Sliders

Servings: 24

1 pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground lamb

½ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 cup gluten-free bread crumbs

2 cups marinara sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

8 ounces sliced provolone or mozzarella

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

8 gluten-free hot dog buns, cut into thirds

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a 9-inch-by-13-inch pan with foil and set aside. In a medium bowl, add ground beef, pork, lamb, spices, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, egg and bread crumbs. Mix with your hands until combined.

Shape into 24 meatballs that are about two inches each.

In a large pot, add marinara sauce and can of tomatoes. Add meatballs and let simmer for 45 minutes to one hour on medium heat. Remove from heat and let meatballs sit, covered, until you are ready to place them on the rolls or buns. For this recipe, I used Udi’s Gluten-Free hot dog buns.

Open the roll, drop a meatball in, cover it with your choice of cheese and press it closed. Continue to assemble the rest of the sliders.

In a small bowl, add butter and place bowl in the microwave for one minute or until it has melted. Add in garlic powder and Italian seasoning and stir until combined. Brush the tops of the buns with butter mixture.

Place the pan in the oven and toast sliders for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes.

Brittany Lambert can be reached at [email protected]