“Mom that was the best dinner EVER!”
Any parent who has ever agonized over what to feed their family for dinner and is starting to feel a bit beaten down by the task wishes to hear those sweet seven words. Well it happened to me. It did. It really did. Who knew that the answer to my prayers all long was the lowly meatball. Super easy and delicious. Worthy of getting the meatball back to superstar status!
Meatball Subs
Meatballs Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup (3 handfuls), Italian bread crumbs or panko crumbs
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons (several drops) Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls)
- grated Parmigiano or Romano Coarse
- salt and black pepper
Ingredients for 5 Minute Marinara Sauce:
Don’t feel bad here if you’ve had a long day and you need to get the kids to activities. Just open a jar of marinara sauce already. But if you really want to make your own here’s how.
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped,
- about 2 tablespoons 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- One 14-ounce can chunky style crushed tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 semolina crusty sub rolls, with or without sesame seeds
- One 10-ounce bag (2 1/2 cups) shredded Provolone or Italian 4-cheese blend
- Shredded basil (sweet) or shredded arugula (spicy) leaves, for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl and punch a well into the center of meat. Fill well with the egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire, parsley, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Mix up meatball ingredients until well combined, yet not over-mixed. Roll into balls and space equally onto a nonstick baking sheet or on parchment paper. Place meatballs in oven and roast about 12 minutes. Break a meatball open and make sure meat is cooked through before removing from the oven.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. When garlic starts sizzling, add herbs and crushed pepper. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are removed from oven.
- Combine meatballs and sauce and pile into sub rolls. Top with shredded cheese and place under subs under broiler to melt cheese. Top with shredded basil or arugula. Other toppings my family likes is jalapenos, olives, tomatoes and green peppers.
Enjoy.
