Original Salt Roll-Your-Own Meatball Sliders with Melty Cheddar

Difficulty: Easy | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 25 min | Total: 40 min | Serves: 4 (makes 12 sliders) | Dietary: Contains gluten, egg and dairy

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cook With the Kids. Rolling meatballs is the best messy job in the kitchen, and kids are weirdly good at it. Chooki's Original Chicken Salt goes into the mince and over the top, so the whole thing tastes like a proper takeaway slider without leaving the house.

Step 1: Squish and Roll

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Tip the mince, panko, egg and chicken salt into a big bowl and let the kids squish it together with clean hands for a minute, until it holds. Roll 12 balls about the size of a golf ball. Wash hands properly after, raw mince goes everywhere.

Step 2: Bake in the Sauce

Sit the meatballs in a baking dish, pour the passata over and around them, and bake for 20 minutes until they are cooked right through with no pink in the middle. The sauce thickens up as it bakes and clings to the meatballs. Grown-up job to get the dish in and out.

Step 3: Build the Sliders

Line a cold tray with baking paper and lay out the bun bases. Kids put a couple of spinach leaves on each, then an adult drops in a hot meatball with a spoon of sauce. Kids lay half a cheddar slice over each one, then sprinkle a tiny pinch of chicken salt over the cheese.

Step 4: Melt and Eat

Back in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, just until the cheddar slumps down the sides. Pop the lids on and let them sit a minute before anyone grabs one, the sauce is hot.

Tip: Wet hands stop the mince sticking when you roll. Keep a small bowl of water on the bench and dip between balls.