Divine Meatball Sandwiches

Jamie Renee's Note:

The spread on these meatball sandwiches is what really sets them apart from others. You can experiment and customize by using your favorite meatballs, sauces and fresh bread. Good for a party finger food, or for lunch or dinner. I promise no meatball sandwich will be the same again! Cook time includes entire process.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 2 footlon ...

• 2 (1 lb) packages frozen meatballs, Italian style
• 2 loaves bakery Italian bread
• 1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a large pot combine frozen meatballs and spaghetti sauce.
2. Heat over medium until meatballs are heated throughout.
3. Meanwhile, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder and set aside.
4. Slice Italian style bread loaves horizontally with serrated bread knife.
5. Cut loaves into three- or four-inch sections to make small sandwiches.
6. Spread cream cheese mixture on insides of each sandwiche's tops and bottoms.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. When meatballs are heated, spoon onto sandwiches and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
9. Put sandwich tops on and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
10. Bake about 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Reviews

[charmaymc]

You weren't kidding when you said that the spread sets these incredible sandwiches apart. Hands down the best sandwiches I have ever had. I used Kaiser rolls instead of the suggested buns, and it turned out great. I had leftover spread as I was only feeding two people, and mixed that, the leftover meatballs and sauce, and leftover cheese together, and it made a great qucik lunch the next day.

Fantastic recipe, sure to be an instant classic in my house.

[BerrySweet]

A messy treat! We used turkey meatballs and a fresh baked french loaf. Next time I would spread the cut-sides of the bread with the cream cheese mixture & cheese and broil until melted and lightly brown, THEN add the meatballs & sauce. Assembling the whole sandwich and baking as written made the outside of the bread a little too crunchy. We will also add crushed red pepper & a zippier sauce next time. A nice meatball sandwich that appeals to adults & kids alike.

[world_traveler]

My husband and I enjoyed these. They were a great comfort food for tonights cold winter weather. I debated about what kind of bread to use and ended up getting the bakery made, Italian bread. It was much too thick to eat as a closed sandwich so I left them open faced and we ate them with forks. I asked him if it would be better on sub bread that could be eaten by hand. In the end, we decided we liked it open face. The flavor was great; we loved the spread.