Meatball Subs

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Sometimes nothing satisfies quite like a sandwich. I’m not talking about dainty little finger sandwiches here. I mean a good, hearty, dinner type sandwich. One that makes a whole meal, not just a snack.

Well, this meatball sub certainly fits that bill! Now wait! Before you run away thinking of all those greasy meatball subs you’ve had in your life, just give this version a chance. It’s a lot healthier than you might think at first glance. First of all, the meatballs are baked rather than cooked in oil. And the roll is whole wheat instead of white. I also used turkey Italian sausage and very lean ground beef in these. See? Getting better all the time, right? You can also use low-fat mozzarella to get the calories and fat down even lower.

Starting to sound a little more promising, huh?

For the meatballs:
3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 egg

1 24 oz. jar spaghetti or marinara sauce 

For assembly:
6 whole wheat sub rolls
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Remove the Italian sausage from its casings and place in a medium bowl along with the ground beef. Mix the meats together until well combined.

Grate the garlic into the bowl with the meat mixture, and then add the remaining ingredients for meatballs. Mix together until thoroughly combined.

Form into 12 balls each slightly larger than a golf ball. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove meatballs from oven and place in a single layer in a shallow pan.

Pour over spaghetti or marinara sauce of your choice. And, yes, I used a purchased sauce for this. There are some very good jarred sauces on the market now. I say take a little help from a jar occasionally. It’ll make getting dinner on the table a lot easier on a busy day.

Bring to the sauce almost to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes.

Prepare the sub rolls by cutting a wedge shaped piece from the top of each.

On each roll, spoon a little of the sauce and two meatballs. Top each with 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Download a printable copy of Meatball Subs,

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