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This sixteen-roll French dip tray uses sautéed onions, provolone and a separate au jus dip. Choose either deli roast beef or the listed pastrami variation. The gravy stays beside the sandwiches until eating; pouring it into the assembled tray makes a different, wetter dish. Cook the onions before assembling so raw slices do not have to soften during the short bread bake.
One pound of deli meat divided over sixteen rolls gives one ounce per slider before cheese and onions. Distribute the meat across the entire bread slab, including the corners, before adding the next layer. Nine cheese slices will not necessarily align with sixteen rolls, so tear or overlap them to cover the surface instead of assigning one slice to selected sandwiches.
Plan sixteen evenly filled rolls
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 oz au jus mix, prepared according to package instructions 3 cups water, to prepare au jus sauce
- 16 Hawaiian sweet rolls
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 lb deli pastrami or roast beef, thinly sliced
- 9 slices mild provolone cheese
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus extra for greasing baking sheet) 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Cook onions and gravy separately
- Stage 1
- Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly butter a rimmed baking sheet sized for the sixteen rolls. Heat oil and the two tablespoons of butter in a skillet.
- Stage 2
- Soften sliced onions, add the sugar and continue until evenly golden to preference, reducing heat if they scorch. Transfer to a plate. Prepare the au jus with the packet’s specified water ratio.
- Stage 3
- For the listed one-ounce mix that calls for three cups, use all three cups rather than two and a half. Scrape flavorful browned onion residue into it if desired, excluding burned bits.
- Stage 4
- Split the rolls horizontally. Spread mayonnaise on the bottoms, then distribute deli meat, cooked onions and provolone evenly across them. Add the tops, brush with the separate melted butter and scatter sesame seeds.
- Stage 5
- Bake about 12–15 minutes, checking that the center filling is thoroughly hot and the cheese melted; shield bread if it colors first. Separate sliders with a serrated knife. Serve dip alongside rather than soaking the tray, and refrigerate leftovers promptly.
Cook onions until softened and as golden as you prefer, lowering the heat if the edges burn. Ten minutes may soften a small batch but does not guarantee deep caramelization. The sauce also needs one consistent water measure: McCormick specifies three cups for its one-ounce au jus mix. Use that product’s full ratio or the directions on your actual packet, not an unexplained two-and-a-half-cup shortcut.
Prepare ahead without soaking the bread
For advance work, refrigerate cooked onions, deli meat, cheese and prepared gravy separately; assemble when you are ready to heat the tray. Avoid placing warm onions against cold bread for a long refrigerated hold. A chilled assembled tray heats differently from one made just before baking. Cover loosely if the tops color before the filling becomes thoroughly hot.
Choose between two slider formulas
The separate twelve-roll Swiss-cheese sliders omit sautéed onions and use a seasoned butter topping. Choose that version when you want the shorter assembly list, not as an interchangeable timing instruction. A cool cowboy caviar salad is an alternative side to another hot casserole.
Serve individual dipping portions
Serve the warm dip in individual small bowls so each person controls how much bread is soaked. Sixteen sliders can be sixteen snack portions or eight two-slider servings; the recipe does not define appetite. USDA guidance limits room-temperature holding of perishables. Bring out smaller trays when serving over time and keep the rest appropriately hot or refrigerated.
Common Questions About This Recipe
- Is the gravy water two and a half cups or three?
Follow the packet. The cited one-ounce McCormick mix uses three cups; do not combine conflicting ratios.
- Are onions fully caramelized in ten minutes?
Not reliably. Use their color and softness as the check and allow more time if needed.
- How much meat goes on each roll?
One pound across sixteen rolls is one ounce per roll before other fillings.
- Can the gravy be poured over the tray?
Keep it separate for this method. Soaking the rolls changes the bread texture.
- How does the Swiss version differ?
It uses twelve rolls, twelve ounces of beef, Swiss cheese and seasoned butter, without the sautéed-onion stage.
- Can I assemble ahead?
Keeping components separate preserves more control over bread moisture. Cold assemblies may take longer to heat.