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–+ servings
Italian dunkers on a plate.
4.80 from 5 votes

Italian Dunkers

It really doesn't get any easier or tastier than hot dog buns covered in garlic butter and mozzarella and baked to perfection -- aka Italian dunkers!
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 6 minutes
Total 11 minutes
Fat 11
Carbs 25
Protein 8
Yield 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 hot dog buns
  • 2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese ~½ cup
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 8 oz. marinara sauce

Instructions

  • Mix the butter and garlic powder and set aside.
  • Keeping the 4 hot dog buns stuck together, half them how you would a hamburger bun. Spread 1 tablespoon of butter on the cut side of each half. Sprinkle ¼ cup of mozzarella on each open half of the hot dog buns. Top with ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning on each half.
    two slices of bread in an air fryer.
  • Air fry at 400℉ for 3 minutes. Continue until everything has been cooked.
    a black air fryer with two slices of bread in it.
  • Dunk immediately in marinara sauce.
    a person dipping a piece of bread into sauce.

Tips & Notes

  • The marinara sauce can be served at room temperature or heated on the stove or microwave. Pizza sauce would be a great alternative.
  • To make these in the oven, preheat the oven to 400℉ and bake for 10 minutes.
  • To make these with ciabatta rolls, follow the same steps but air fry for 4 minutes. The oven takes the same amount of time as the hot dog buns, 10 minutes. Cut in half to form dunkers.
  • We used mozzarella cheese, but pizza cheese (typically a mix of mozzarella and provolone) would be a great alternative.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g