These delicious, baked Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches are also known as Tailgate Sandwiches because they are the perfect game-day party fare. They are bursting with flavor and gooey cheese!
Food that can be found at parties is the best kind of food, am I right? Party food is the best! Hot dips, cold dips, gooey dips, finger foods, food on a stick, it is all so delicious. People at parties are great, but the food is what makes you go OHhhhh! I have loved making food for parties for decades. Some old (and current) favorites include Spinach Artichoke Dip and 7-Layer Taco Dip.
I have added a ton of recipes to my list of party food faves recently and these Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders always rank toward the top. They are super easy to make and people absolutely love and DEVOUR them. Every time I make these I receive many requests for the recipe.
WATCH THIS QUICK VIDEO TO SEE HOW TO MAKE HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES!
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HOW TO MAKE HOT HAM AND CHEESE TAILGATE SANDWICHES
I love that these sandwiches are super easy to make. Follow these super simple steps to make your very own batch of yummy sliders!
STEP 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a large baking dish (9×13 or a similar size) with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with the roll bottoms. Top with the ham and the provolone cheese slices. Spread a generous amount cream cheese spread onto the insides of the sweet roll tops and place them in a layer on top of the cheese.
STEP 2
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onions and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and pour over your sandwiches. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over the top.
STEP 3
Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted. Cut at the seams with a knife and serve warm! Make sure the sandwiches are covered before placing leftovers in the fridge.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST TAILGATE SANDWICHES
Replace the layers of ham with thin sliced turkey or roast beef instead for a different flavor.
Replace yellow mustard with honey mustard or dijon mustard for an extra touch of flavor.
Although I loooooove using provolone in this recipe because it’s so perfectly ooey-gooey, feel free to swap it out for cheddar, mozzarella or even swiss cheese.
Feel free to swap out the butter in the topping with olive oil.
Using Hawaiian rolls for these sandwiches produces such a delicious end product, but regular dinner rolls will work fine, too.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH TAILGATE SANDWICHES
These sliders have a “party food” label for me personally and any other type of party food goes well with party food. Know what I mean? If you are making these sandwiches for dinner instead, or maybe an afternoon lunch or brunch, then you might want some ideas about what side dish to serve alongside them. Here are some ideas for you!
A leafy chopped salad would taste great with hot ham and cheese sandwiches!
Slow Cooker Hot Creamy Corn goes with everything.
These Slow Cooker Baked Beans are SO GOOD and they taste even more incredible when served on a plate with tailgate sandwiches.
Sauteed Cabbage is a super simple and delish side that goes great with sandwiches.
Especially if you are serving these in the spring or summer, Fruit Salad with a Twist is the perfect complement!
These are super easy to make ahead of time. Assemble the sandwiches as directed. Mix up the topping but store it separately in the fridge. Brush it over the tops of the sandwiches just before baking.
This is also a good recipe to freeze. I’ve done this many times! Place them in a resealable bag and wrap in foil. Freeze for up to 4 months! When removing them from the freezer, allow them to thaw completely and place them into a baking dish or onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until just warmed through, about 15 minutes.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THESE DELICIOUS HOT HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES!
“I made these for our Christmas dinner and all of my extended family LOVED them! Cannot wait to do it this Sunday for the Super Bowl party.” ~Molly
“Just want to tell you what a fantastic recipe this is, I have made it several times and the whole family loves it! I was just looking it up for Super Bowl and wanted to say thanks!” ~Jen
Tailgate Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 24 small Hawaiian sweet buns cut in half crosswise
- 1 lb deli black forest ham sliced
- 20 slices provolone cheese
- 8 oz cream cheese spread
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted (1 stick)
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp dried onions minced
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with the bottom halves of the rolls. Top with the ham and the provolone cheese slices. Spread the cream cheese onto the bottoms of the sweet roll tops and place them in a layer on top of the cheese.
- In a medium bowl, combine the butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onions and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and pour evenly over tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over the top.
- Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until warmed through. Cut at the seams with a knife and serve warm!
What do you do with the spreadable cream cheese???
Hi Nicole! Spread the cream cheese onto the bottom sides of the top parts of the buns. I hope that makes sense!
Megan
I just wanted to say thank you! These are delicious! Every time I make them, they're gone in just a few minutes! I follow the recipe exactly. 🙂
Hi Rhonda! It sounds like you love these just as much as I do! Thanks for the comment!!
Megan
I don't understand the oven part…You preheat it to 350 and then you say to put the sandwiches in the preheated oven for 20-25mins. Do you continue to keep the sandwiches at 350 after it has reached that temperature?
Hi Lauren! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and then put the sandwiches into the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes. I hope this helps!
Megan
These look amazing! I am wanting to make them for a baby shower, could I make them the night before and serve cold instead of hot?
Thanks!
Hi Amanda! I've eaten them both hot and cold and they are so good both ways. You could also throw everything together, refrigerate overnight and cook the next day! Good luck!
Megan
Can these be baked then the next morning reheated?
Hi Alexis! You have two options: You can put these together a day in advance and bake the next day. I'd suggest keeping the mixture that you pour over the top separate until just before baking, pouring it over the sandwiches right before it goes into the oven. Also, don't add the butter to the mixture the night before since it'll harden in the fridge. Add it to the bowl right before you're ready to bake it.
OR…
You could also try baking and reheating the next day, but my thoughts are that you may as well bake just once the day of and do prep the day prior.
Hopefully that makes sense!
Megan
This is becoming my go to recipe for pot lucks and family gatherings. It has been a hit, I’ve probably made it four times now… getting ready for another batch this morning. I follow the recipe with only a few exceptions. I always forget to buy the minced onion, so I’ve skipped that for the topping, and I put the topping together without the poppy seeds and parmesan. I sprinkle that on top after brushing on the butter mixture. I have found that it goes on better for me that way. Delicious!
These were so, so yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Rebecca!!
Megan
We did not care for these. My guests thought the flavor was ok but felt the topping made them a bit messy to eat. I may try these again but I will put the topping in between the meet and cheese? I think these would also be good with some pepper jack cheese.
Putting the topping between the meat and cheese is a great idea! I may just try that next time! And you can never go wrong with pepper jack, in my opinion. Thanks for the comment!
Megan
I’ve added a pickle slice & used cream cheese with chives for an extra dose of YUM!
Just want to tell you what a fantastic recipe this is, I have made it several times and the whole family loves it! I was just looking it up for Super Bowl and wanted to say thanks!
Thank you. It’s a great recipe to share and be hearty enough to fill you up but also be able to snack on a few other appetizers at a party.
I made these for our Christmas dinner and all of my extended family LOVED them! Cannot wait to do it
this Sunday for the Super Bowl party. If ham and cheese is to bland, I made a second pan of shaved london broil, swiss cheese and added horseradish sauce. Yummy!
I love how a recipe shared can inspire other ideas and flavors. Sounds like you did great! I’m sure they were a hit. Thanks for stopping by!
We prefer a recipe from a former coworker – Vivian C. – that mixes the butter, onion, Worcestershire and mustard until smooth, chops the ham and Swiss cheese in a food processor, then mix together and spread on cut buns or croissants. We don’t add the poppy seeds. Then heat in the oven. Thanks for another variation!
There’s many ways to prepare a good meal. Thanks for joining the conversation!
My friend made these the other day and they were delicious so I asked him for the recipe. I’m making them this Saturday for a trivia night. My only question is, did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Use unsalted butter because the cheese and ham have plenty of added salt!