Turkey, Chicken or Beef Meatball Sandwiches...

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Ingredients

One pound of ground turkey, chicken or grass fed ground beef
Two large slices of French bread broken up into crumbs; bread can be fresh or stale
Two beaten large or jumbo eggs

Vegetables for your sauce

Several large mushrooms, washed, dried and sliced.
Several pieces of fresh garlic both crushed and diced
Half of a large yellow onion; diced
One medium to large red bell pepper, washed and chopped
Or
Two cups of your own pre-made marinara sauce in which you have already cooked down your vegetables
Extra virgin olive oil

Sandwich rolls of any shape or texture; if bread is too soft to hold meat in a sauce you will need to toast the side of the roll where the meatballs and sauce will be placed in order to prevent the sandwich from falling apart on you.

You will need slices of your favorite cheese to top off your sandwiches.
I prefer provolone cheese myself but please use whatever cheese that pleases you.

Method

Combine the meat, breadcrumbs and beaten egg together in a bowl and mix well.
Form meatballs the size of golf balls. Mixture will be gushy; just form the ball shapes as well as possible.

Drop the meatballs into a medium hot frying pan to which you have already placed several tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Fry…excuse me…sauté the meatballs until they are golden on as many sides as possible. Because they are very soft these meatballs will not retain a perfect ball shape.

Remove the meatballs to a side plate, and add the sliced mushrooms to the pan; add a tablespoon or two of more oil if necessary.

If you are making your marinara sauce from ‘scratch’ then add the crushed and diced garlic, chopped onion, and red bell pepper that you have cut up into bite sized pieces. Sauté the vegetable for several minutes but do not over cook.

Add the tomato sauce and the tomato bits to the sauce, mix well; then add the meatballs back into the pan with the sauce and vegetables.

Cook all together on a low simmer so the meatballs will continue cooking, and the sauce will thicken as the moisture evaporates. When the sauce is thick the meatballs are cooked through, and ready to spoon onto your rolls.

Slice your rolls and place the bottom halves on a cookie sheet.
Spoon on three (3) or four (4) meatballs with the thick sauce onto each roll.
Top each mound of meatballs and sauce with one or two slices of your favorite cheese.
Place cookie sheet with sandwich bottoms under the broiler in your oven, and broil these sandwiches until the cheese is melted.

Remove the cookie sheet as soon as you see the cheese is the way you like, and place the top slice of the bun on top of the sandwich. You can grill, brown, the sliced portion of the top slice of your roll if you wish but watch it all carefully as everything grills, browns, up very fast under a broiler.

Dinner or Lunch is ready!

Enjoy!

I have found that these meatballs and sauce freeze very well, and make a quick meal on days when I am too busy to cook.

Carol Garnier Dutra

Copyright © 2010 by Carol Garnier Dutra

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