Easy Cheeseburger Oven Sliders

      This recipe is for a quick and easy dinner.  We like doing this when we don't have access to our outdoor grill but, craving a burger.  You can make the hamburger patty as thick or as thin as you want but, if you do go thicker then increase your first 'bake time' accordingly.  The second 'bake time' is to melt the cheese, warm up the onion and toast the buns.  You can double this recipe completely by using 2 pounds of ground beef and spreading into a 9x13 baking dish.  I use two 8x8 baking dishes (one to bake the ground beef and one to finish the recipe.)  IF you don't have two equal sized baking dishes, just be extra careful wiping out the dish between the first and second 'bake time".   I will admit, these remind me of "Home" and our ole ' White Castle'  Burgers! 
 ~Enjoy! Diane 

Easy Cheeseburger Oven Sliders 

1 pound of lean ground beef
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 onion, small dice
4-6 slices of cheddar cheese
(enough to cover ground beef patties) 

6 slider hamburger buns 
2 Tbs melted butter 
​sesame seeds, if needed, optional 

Directions:
     Preheat oven to 350F.

• Mix the spices into the ground beef, press the beef into an 8x8 baking dish so that you have one smooth and even layer.  Bake in oven at 350 for 20 minutes.  
• Remove beef from oven and wipe out baking dish (carefully move beef to a large plate so you can easily wipe out dish).  
• Spray a bit of non-stick spray into baking dish or lay cooking/parchment paper into bottom of pan, lay the bottom portion of slider buns down into baking dish, lay cooked beef on top of bun bottoms, evenly sprinkle your diced onion over beef, and lay cheese slices over - covering the beef.   
• Place the baking dish back into the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.  
• In the last 5 minutes of bake time, add tops of buns to burgers, that have been brushed lightly with melted butter, sprinkle sesame seeds over tops of buns (optional).  Finish cooking the final 5 minutes. 
• Serve hot:  Using a knife, cut into beef, along all bun sides to create individual burgers. 

Makes 6 sliders