Meatball Submarine Sandwich

Yesterday, a few blogging friends and I launched our Summer with Trader Joe’s Series. If you haven’t check out all the yummy sandwiches these girls prepared, you are missing out! At the end of the post, I’ll have linkups to each delicious sandwich!

Along those lines, I have had a post in my drafts for quite sometime. It’s a SANDWICH! And, I know I told you yesterday that I don’t enjoy sandwiches… Unless they are super yummy. This is quite delish. And, when the meatballs are made ahead of time, this meal comes together in less than 15 minutes. Paired with a green salad, it’s a great meal any night of the week!

Let’s start by preparing the meatballs.

When I was a child, my mom and her friend Sandy would buy copious amounts of ground beef when it was on sale. Then, they would gather all the children and create a meatball making assembly line. It was nuts! These little kids, all standing around the kitchen table, rolling out hundreds of meatballs. *No, we aren’t Italian…* Now, that I am older, it would be great to have kids mass producing meatballs for my freezer!

These meatballs are very quick to make, the only “rule” for meatballs is making sure you have enough salt. I like to take a small portion of the mixture before rolling them all out, cook it, and see if it is well seasoned. Adds a little time to the whole process, but it’s worth it!

Begin by dumping your ground beef, panko bread crumbs, egg, and seasonings into a big bowl. Squish around with your hands, blending well, but not over mixing. Once you have tested a small portion and know that all seasonings are correct, start rolling these puppies out. I like to take a couple tablespoons full and roll them in between my hands.

Once all have been rolled, pour some olive oil in the bottom of a skillet, over medium high heat. We want to sear these babies well. Place them into the oil, don’t drop them! The oil will pop… I know these things, listen well, my friend. Don’t touch them for a couple minutes. We want a good crust to form. The meatballs will tell you when it’s time to turn them. Just like in grilling, when it turns over easily, it’s ready. If it doesn’t want to move, leave it for another 30 seconds or so. Now, if you are making lots of these, take them out and place on a tray to cool. They will still be pink in the center, but that’s okay! You don’t want to over cook them, and when you do need to use them, they will cook in the sauce.

Once they are browned on all sides, add in some finely chopped yellow onion, and let that sweat for a couple minutes. Add in a cup or two of sauce, depending on how saucy you like your meatballs. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes.

Cut your italian roll in half, but not all the way through. We want something to “catch” the sauce. Butter that baby, and place under the broiler till golden brown.

Now, take either Allouette Cheese, or I used President Garlic and Herb, and spread it on either side.

Place your meatballs on top, I like even numbers.

Adding extra sauce on top!

Cover the tops and side with cheese. I am in love with Kraft’s cheeses that have Philadelphia Cream Cheese in them! They melt SO well!

PLace back under the broiler, and at the point, I like to get it as close to the broiler as possible. Melt until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Yummmmmmmm.

Let this sit a couple minutes before slicing or serving. It is VERY hot. Very hot. No need to take the roof of your mouth off over a sandwich! 😉

• Details

  • Serves	Cook Time	Total Time	Prep Time	Publisher
    Varies	10 minutes	20 minutes	10 minutes	Ashley

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  • •  

  Ingredients ( Edit )

  • • 1 pound Ground Beef
    • 1 egg
    • 1/3 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper
    • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil

  Instructions ( Edit )

  • 1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix with fingers till well combined.
    2. Scoop meatballs out by a couple tablespoons.
    3. Heat olive oil over medium high heat, in large skillet.
    4. Sear each meatball till golden brown on all sides.
    5. Remove from skillet and cool.

• Details

• Serves	Cook Time	Total Time	Prep Time	Publisher
  4	7 minutes	15 minutes	8 minutes	Ashley

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  •  

• Ingredients ( Edit )

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 16 Pre-cooked Meatballs
  • 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Onion
  • 2 cups Marinara Sauce
  • 2 Medium Italian Loaves
  • 8 Tablespoons Garlic and Herb Spreadable Cheese (2 TBS per sandwich)
  • Kraft Italian Five Cheese Blend

• Instructions ( Edit )

1. Heat olive oil in pan, over medium high heat. Add cooked meatballs and onions, and let sweat for a couple minutes, warming the meatballs through. Add sauce, and cook till combined, 5 minutes
2. Slice your Italian loaves in half short ways, making four sandwiches. Slice each sandwich in half length-wise, and not all the way through. Butter, and broil till golden brown. 2 minutes
3. Swipe Garlic and Herb Cheese on to each half, then place meatballs and sauce on one half. Top each side with lots of cheese. Broil until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
4. Serve warm with a green salad!

Alright, friends, get those kids cranking meatballs! 😉