Meatball Sandwiches

breezermom's Note:

Homemade meatball sandwiches....from the meatballs to the sauce! The meatballs are baked, not fried, and the sauce and meatballs cook cook for almost 2 hours to create a delicious aroma and taste! Mama-mia!

• Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Meatballs

• 1 cup soft french breadcrumbs (see instructions about where to get these!)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 lb mild pork sausage
• 1 lb ground beef, lean
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon basil, dried whole
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano, dried whole
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Sauce

• 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 (14 ounce) cans Italian-style tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup Burgundy wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons basil, dried whole
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano, dried whole

Sandwiches

• 48 inches french bread rolls (Should read 8 6-inch French bread rolls, not 48 inches!)
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese or 8 slices provolone cheese
• softened butter or margarine

Directions:

1. Slice the french rolls in half. On one side of each roll, scrape out a hollow trough for the meatballs to nestle inches With the bread you scrape out, save 1 cup of the breadcrumbs for the meatballs. Place the buns back in a plastic bag and set aside.
2. For the meatballs:.
3. Take the 1 cup of breadcrumbs from the rolls and combine it with the milk in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the sausage and the next 8 ingredients; mix well.
4. Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place the meatballs in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Set aside.
5. For the Sauce:.
6. Saute the green peppers, chopped onion, and 2 cloves minced garlic in oil in a large saucepan until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, water, sugar, 1 1/2 tsp basil, and 1/4 tsp oregano; stir well.
7. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the reserved meatballs; cover and simmer for 1 hour.
8. To assemble the sandwiches:.
9. Take the French rolls out of the bag and brush lightly with the softened butter. Place cheese on the flat side of the bread (not the one you hollowed out for the meatballs). I cut my cheese slices in half so that they fit nicely on the bread and cover all the bread.
10. Broil 6 inches from the heat until lightly toasted and the cheese is melted and gooey -- watch carefully so the cheese doesn't burn.
11. Spoon meatball mixture onto the hollowed out side of the buns, and top with the cheese covered side of the bun. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Annacia]

These are soooooo good. I used beef broth in place of the wine in the sauce and cooked it down so it would be thick and cling to the meatballs well. Love that the meatballs were ask to be baked as I do that all of the time anyway so this time I didn't feel like I was cheating, lol. Weather you use balls and sauce in a sandwich, on pasta or anything else you might wish you'll be happy that you made it. :D

[Baby Kato]

Breezermom this is sooo good. It is so worth the extra effort. I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves meatballs. So tender and full of flavor, love the little zip from the hot pork sausage that I used. The meatballs were so tender prepared this way and the sauce was excellent, loved the bold rich flavor. Made exactly as written and wouldn't change a thing. I made one with provolone cheese for me and one with old cheddar for the dh, both versions were super tasty. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe.

[pammyowl]

Delightfully delicious. I made smaller meatballs, as the larger ones tend to be difficult to get my mouth around, LOL! Also, I used ground pork and added fennel and Italian seasoning to mimic the sausage flavor as I had no sausage. It worked perfectly. Made for Rookie Recipe tag game 2013