Meatball Sandwiches

It seems over the past week or so we've really been craving homey comforting meals. I'm not sure if its because we're busy getting ready for Christmas or because its so cold & snowy here in Minneapolis. In that vein, the other night Matt made us some fabulous meatball sandwiches.

(Yeah they are a little charred on the edges from a second too long in the broiler but that didn't effect the taste at all.)

What made these sandwiches so good was the tender, flavorful meatballs Matt started with. He decided using the same sort of recipe he would for meatloaf would give him a great meatball & he was right. I especially liked the way he left the pieces of onion rather large in the meatballs.

We got 52 meatballs from this recipe which is much more than we needed for sandwiches but we froze the excess & now have them for more sandwiches or spaghetti.

Meatballs

1 3/4 lbs mixed ground meat (we used a mix of beef, pork & veal)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
3 eggs
1/3 c ketchup
1 oz grated Parmesan
1 c bread crumbs

Put all ingredients in a bowl & knead with your hands until everything is well blended but do not overwork. Roll into 1-inch balls. (If you wish to freeze some of the meatballs do so now by freezing them on a cookie sheet. once frozen place in an airtight container & back into the freezer.)

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs & cook until browned on all sides.

Add enough tomato sauce (we used Muir Glen pizza sauce thinned with a little water) cover at least 3/4 of the meatballs. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked.

To make sandwiches:
Split soft hoagie rolls in half & place on a baking sheet. Top with 5 or 6 meatballs & a little sauce. Lay slices of provolone on over the meatballs. Broil until the cheese is melted.