Meatball Sandwiches and Marinara

Mr. has been bugging me to make meatball sandwiches and then I was talking with family on Facebook and they were brought up again. SO I went searching for a recipe, since I didn't really have a great meatball recipe. Google Food Search brought me to Pam's blog For The Love Of Cooking. Her recipe sounded great, I must admit the addition of mushrooms sold me!

But before I get into this recipe, I have to tell you a secret. For the first time EVER, I caught my pan on FIRE! I was dicing mushrooms and onions and heating up the stock pot (my fave one non the less) so it's be nice and hot, and went and poured in the little oil to heat up...and BOOM! Huge fire in my pot! Thank Goodness I had a lid right there, and without hesitation or freaking out, I thought out loud (to myself), "put the lid on it!". Thankfully Mr. was on there with me, and also told me to put the lid on it as I was already grabbing it. Luckily we have faulted ceilings nothing was damaged, just a really bad stink of oil in the house. SO warning!...do not get your pan too hot before adding the oil!

Last time I used mushrooms in a recipe I diced them super fine and my family didn't mind them. I knew I could get them by them again. I actually diced them pretty small but wish I had done them in the processor, next time I will. This sauce was great! The meatballs were good too. Together, these meatball subs were fantastic! AND 4/5 of us ate them and liked them, even my 6 yr old had seconds. The mushrooms add such a great flavor, don't pass on them, and use fresh cremini or bellas, not white buttons or jarred ones. These will be THE recipe I use now.

Meatball Sandwiches
slightly adapted by For The Love Of Cooking (in green)

Mushroom Marinara:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted)
1 tsp white sugar
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
7 button mushrooms, diced finely
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs (I used homemade breadcrumbs w/extra Italian seasonings)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed (I omitted)
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Put the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a food processor to chop, otherwise chop them as small as you can. Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside (I used my small scooper). Once the meatballs are prepared. (I then baked them at 350' for 20 minutes on a large baking sheet) Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place the cooked meatballs in the mushroom marinara.

Hoagie rolls (I used French rolls)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh basil, chopped

To assemble, place meatballs with some sauce in the hoagie rolls. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in a pan, under the broiler and melt cheese - watch carefully so don't burn. Top with basil and serve. Enjoy!

meatballs & sauce

enjoy,