These sandwiches are stupid tasty. The meatballs themselves are packed with flavor and then when sitting on top of toasted garlic bread sandwich rolls smothered with melted mozzarella and a homemade tomato sauce, they're out of this world.
INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef (I prefer 85/15)
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 milk
1/4 EVOO
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Handful fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 batch of the all purpose tomato sauce recipe (previously posted)
Fresh mozarella
For the garlic bread rolls
6 hoagie/sandwich rolls of choice
1 stick salted butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
3 T. fresh grated parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Get your ground beef out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before making the meatballs. It's takes the initial cold sting off of the meat that would otherwise hurt your hands. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil or parchment paper (it makes cleanup sooo much easier and makes it so the meatballs don't stick on the pan). Then, to prepare the meatballs, mix all of the meatball ingredients except for the tomato sauce and fresh mozarella by folding together with your hands. Don't over-mix it though. If you over-mix, the meatballs will turn out to be tough and rubbery. Using your fingers or a 1 inch cookie scoop, make your meatballs to your desired size. I make them about 1.5" in diameter. Line them up on lined cookie sheet, spaced about 1" apart. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until mostly cooked through.
While the meatballs are baking, get the all-purpose tomato sauce (or preferred marinara) heated in a large pot (I always use my cast iron Le Creusets) over medium heat. I forgot to puree the tomato sauce this last time I made these and took pictures, so the sauce still has chunks of veggies in it (which you may or may not like). If you'd like your sauce to be smooth, blend it up in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender before heating it up.
Once the meatballs come out of the oven, carefully place them in the gently simmering tomato sauce. Simmer there until all of the meatballs come out of the oven plus at least 10 minutes so they get good and saucy.
While the meatballs are getting all happy in their sauce bath, prepare your garlic bread rolls. Make the garlic butter by mixing the butter, garlic, dried herbs, and parmesan cheese. Spread the butter equally on each half of the rolls.
Toast the rolls, butter side up, under the broiler in the oven until just starting to get golden brown. Top the bottom halves of the rolls with slices of the fresh mozarella and place back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts. If the top halves start to get too brown, you will need to take them out while the cheese continues to melt, so you HAVE TO WATCH them under that broiler.
When nice and melty, top the meatballs and cheese with some sauce. Replace the top of the sammie and then eat it all up! We enjoy them with a side of Caesar Salad, and I love it with a glass of a nice red. It's so, so, so yummy!
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