Nov 1 2018

Bacon Cheeseburger Smiles Sliders

Find the recipe card at the end of the post. Make sure to read the content as it contains chef tips, substitution options, and answers to FAQs to help you succeed the first time around!

Posts may contain affiliate links that help enable me to continue to provide you with free recipes. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Privacy Policy for details.

These Bacon Cheeseburger Smiles Sliders are a great one-pan meal that the kids can help make! Perfect for parties, tailgating and snacks!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of McCain Foods USA, Inc. ©. The opinions and text are all mine!

So there’s just something about McCain® Smiles® Regular Mashed Potato Shapes that makes me feel like a kid all over again! Just seeing those happy little faces, one can’t help but just smile and feel happy. Whether you’re 50 or 5, all ages can enjoy these! And what’s so much fun with this (besides those adorable little faces) is that the kids can help make these for any occasion!

I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure what was more fun, eating them or actually prepping and assembling them. Well okay let’s be real here, eating will always trump the prep work but when prep work is fun, it’s not really work though, now is it? With football/cheerleading/soccer/band/fantasy football (I don’t judge) season here we all want great foods to serve whether we’re tailgating, home gating or just want a great after school meal

Long gone are the days of when we could get away with serving simple PB&J sandwiches, cheese & crackers or bowl of chips. We are living in a world of foodies, where fancy cheeses and expensive meats laid out perfectly on a charcuterie boards are replacing a simple tray of saltine crackers and American cheese slices. Kids and adults not only want delicious foods but they want foods that they can prepare themselves! Nothing warms my heart more than when I get an email or message from a kid asking for cooking advice. I LOVE that there is such a huge interest in the culinary world! This recipe is such a quick, easy and FUN family meal that everyone can pitch in and help with!

The McCain Smiles can be found in the freezer sections of your local Walmart. One thing you’ll see is that they have a few varieties to choose from. Whether you’re an Extra Crispy Crinkle Fry person (that’s me! LOVE crispy fries!) or all about that curl and spring of Seasoned Curly Fries, McCain has you covered! My personal favorites (besides the Smiles) are the Baby Cakes and the Craft Beer Battered Thin Cut Fries. Those are CRAZY delicious! For me, my local Walmart has me covered with a bunch of varieties to choose from! My advice, buy a few types this way you’re never without these babies! Take those fries, Smiles or Baby Cakes and mix it up! The Baby Cakes are awesome as the base of an appetizer like how crostini bread would be!

Now you all know that potatoes are my all-time favorite vegetable! Growing up I ate only potatoes, corn, and canned peas. Potatoes are truly versatile and absolutely delicious! What I love about the McCain as a company is that they are made with REAL POTATOES! No artificial flavors either which is HUGE for me and my family!
As you can see below this is a one-pan meal which is HUGE these days! Now if you do not have a huge sheet pan, no worries as you can just use 2 pans. Get the kiddos involved as they can be the ones to line the Smiles up on the pan and if you want they can even help shape the patties. This recipe is so easy and requires little to no work so it’s perfect for unexpected company, after-school snacks or Friday night with friends!

One pan/one pot/sheet pan meals are such a huge thing right now in the foodie world. People want convenience, little to no dishes and something that acts as a whole meal. If you wanted you could also add some asparagus to the pan (if free space allows) that way you could add your greens to this. The sky is the limit to the toppings and what you can serve with this! I’m thinking the next homegating party I have, serving these with a side of chili to dunk them into! Or what about cheese sauce!!! Oh that just sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?!

What I like to do with this when I have a party is set up a burger bar station! I’ll cook up all the McCain Smiles and the burger patties. Some will have cheese, some will not. Then I’ll set up a bowl of thinly sliced red onions, tomato slices, pickles, condiment sauces (I prefer to dunk them rather than place it on the slider) and whatever else you like on a burger! I’ve even sautéed up mushrooms and shallots, roasted red peppers and thinly sliced jalapenos. Folks absolutely love that as it’s so personal. And well, happy!

As I was making these, Mr. Fantabulous strolls out to the kitchen sniffing the air. The man knows when food is done and ready to be eaten. Fortunately, I’ve become wise when creating recipes. I make 2 batches at the same time. Not only does that allow for repeatable quality but also so he can eat hot food while I’m taking photos. As I was shooting away he was sitting at the island dunking away. His personal favorite was bacon, thinly sliced onion and lettuce dipped in ketchup. And we’re talking a huge dunk! The man LOVES to drown his burger in ketchup!

As he went to take a bite he said, “Those are cute little buns! Very happy!” When he started to chew he said, “Hey wait! This bun tastes like a cross between a french fry and mashed potatoes! Did you make these? Man, this is really good!” I smiled, showed him the bag and in return got a huge smile, nod of approval and a man that was invested in dunking away. I did well by him!

Do good by your family and kids and make this part of your weekly recipes! Moms and dads will love it as it’s super easy to make and cleanup is a breeze. Kids will love it because they are festive and they get to help! All will love it because it’s happy and delicious! Make sure next time you’re at Walmart to stock up on a few bags of these! Trust me, these are great to have in the freezer for unexpected company! In less than 20 minutes you can whip up a crazy delicious meal!

For those of you that want to use different meats, you can totally swap out the ground beef for ground turkey and chicken! Want full-on vegetarian? Use my Portabella Veggie burger! But don’t stop there! Once you bake up these Smiles, you could also use deli meats and cheeses to make little finger sandwiches! And if you want to be a rebel, once these are baked you can totally put them a baking tray, top with pizza sauce, cheese and pizza toppings for a great Smiles pizza!

Whatever your burger meat choice is, bake up a smile today with McCain Smiles! Feel good about serving your family happiness and something delicious!