Sausage balls

Big things often come in small packages. These sliders pack a flavorful punch that is sure to be enjoyed by all. This recipe can be written dozens of ways, depending on your various condiment preferences. The best thing about these paleo-friendly offerings is that you don’t have a doughy soft bun to get in the way of your fresh lettuce and tomatoes.

Sliders can be a great appetizer for a big crowd or a meal for a smaller crew. This is also a really fun recipe to get kids involved in the process. Who doesn’t remember getting to make burgers as a kid?

1–1½ pounds (500-750 g) ground beef
1 large egg
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup (100 g) mushrooms, finely chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 each: yellow, red, green bell pepper
1 small onion, sliced
3 small tomatoes, sliced
1 head iceberg lettuce
6–8 medium portobello mushrooms

  1. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Be sure you have a clean grate and wipe it down with a little oil when hot.
  2. In a large bowl, mix ground meat, egg, chopped onion and mushrooms. Sprinkle in black pepper and garlic salt as you’re mixing the meat.
  3. Form small burgers with hands (no need for a fancy slider mold here). The burgers will be about 2 inches in diameter.
  4. Slice all three peppers down the sides to form large flat pieces (think like you’re cutting the walls off a house).
  5. Slice other onion and tomatoes thinly (about 1/8 inch). Pull lettuce apart into individual leaves. Try to keep them whole (as large as possible).
  6. Grill burgers 3-5 minutes per side, depending upon your desired doneness. Grill peppers and mushrooms 2-3 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
  7. Stack burgers between peppers or mushrooms and wrap with lettuce. Add the onion and tomato slices if you’re so inclined.

Variations—If you’d like, slice the tomatoes a bit thicker to use as bun—just know they’ll be pretty juicy.

—With sliders/burgers you can use almost any ground meat you want. We like to occasionally use ground turkey or ground venison.

—We always try to have a batch of our homemade Paleo Mayo, Cave Ketchup (recipe here), or Chipotle Dipping Sauce (recipe here) ready to serve on top of these.