Turkey Cranberry Sliders made with leftover turkey and cranberry sauce with a thick layer of quick caramelized onions, melty havarti cheese and a zesty poppyseed mustard sauce. While they can be made with deli meat any time of year, these mini sandwiches are also the perfect way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers in a second delicious lunch or dinner!
We’ve all been there in the days after thanksgiving, staring into the fridge full of leftovers, craving anything other than turkey. Even with a sauce as good as my favorite honey cranberry sauce recipe, sometimes you just need to liven up those leftovers.
Well, these flavorful turkey cranberry sliders will break you out of that rut, re-imagining turkey, cranberry sauce and dinner rolls into something fresh. They can be a snack, lunch, appetizer or quick and easy dinner – delicious anytime of day.
Some cranberry turkey sliders can be a little bland. This is where the quick caramelized onions come into play, adding a whole new layer of flavor in half the time it normally takes to caramelize onions. Adding balsamic glaze gives them a rich, tangy flavor that brings out the natural caramelization flavor.
Then drizzle with butter poppyseed mustard sauce for even more dimension, and they take on a whole new life for those leftovers that is anything but boring. Take turkey from basic to gourmet with each of these layers of goodness.
What you need
All ingredients are shown in the image below and listed in the recipe card. A few notes:
- I tested the recipe with oven roasted turkey, my smoked turkey breast recipe and deli meat and all were equally good so you can make them anytime you’ve got turkey on hand.
- You can use Hawaiian rolls or just plain unsweetened dinner rolls to cut back on the sugar (my personal preference).
How to Make Turkey Cranberry Sliders
In just a few steps, you can have these turkey sliders with cranberry sauce baked and on the table. Here’s what you need to do:
- Heat the oven to 375° F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Sauté sliced onions in salt until lightly brown.
- Add balsamic glaze and cook for another minute, deglazing the pan. This is the hack that makes them quick caramelized onions!
- cut the block of dinner rolls in half horizontally without separating them from each other, laying the bottom half in the greased baking dish.
- Layer on turkey.
- Layer on caramelized onions.
- Layer on cheese.
- Then layer on cranberry sauce.
- Cover with the roll tops.
- Stir the sauce ingredients together and brush or drizzle onto the rolls.
- Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake on the top rack of the oven for another 5 minutes until the tops are nicely browned. Remove from the oven, slice and serve!
Leftover Sandwiches?
- Reheat them in the toaster oven or oven for crispness or the microwave for quickness!
Leftover Turkey Cranberry Sliders with Caramelized Onions
Equipment
- 1 9×13 casserole dish
- 1 spatula or flat sided wooden spoon
- 1 Large serrated Knife
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
Sandwiches
- 12 dinner rolls pack of regular or sweet Hawaiian rolls
- 1 lb. sliced turkey leftover turkey or deli meat
- 1 ½ cup cranberry sauce
- 6-8 ounces Havarti cheese or Swiss cheese
Grilled Onions
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil
- 2 large sweet onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic glaze
Butter Glaze
- 3 Tbsp. butter melted
- 1 tsp. poppyseeds
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Rub a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with oil or coat lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
- Make the onions: bring a large sauté pan to medium heat. Add avocado oil and once oil is warm add the onions and salt.2 Tbsp. avocado oil, 2 large sweet onions, 1/2 tsp. salt
- Cook the onions for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly until they are caramelized. When they are starting to brown, add balsamic glaze, using it to deglaze the pan scraping off any cooked on bits of onion. Cook down 1 minute longer before removing from the heat.1 Tbsp. balsamic glaze
- While onions are browning, use a serrated knife to cut the block of rolls in half horizontally without separating them from each other. Lay the bottom halves in the prepared baking dish.12 dinner rolls
- Lay the turkey in an even layer over the bottom buns, then spread the caramelized onions over the top. Lay the sliced cheese on top of the onions. Top the cheese with the cranberry sauce, spreading it out to cover the whole area and cover with the top layer of buns.1 lb. sliced turkey, 6-8 ounces Havarti cheese, 1 ½ cup cranberry sauce
- In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, poppyseeds, sesame seeds, and Dijon mustard and stir until well-combined.3 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. poppyseeds, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the rolls with the butter mixture or drizzle it on with a spoon.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes until the sliders are heated through and the cheese is melty.
- Remove the foil, place on top rack of oven and continue baking for 3- 5 minutes until tops are lightly browned and the turkey inside is warm. If the top isn't browning quickly enough, you can broil for a minute or two but make sure to keep an eye on it to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and use a sharp knife to slice between the rolls. Serve right away.
Nutrition
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