Meatball Subs

So whenever my husband orders a sandwich from Subway, he usually gets the meatball sub. I've never ordered that sandwich before, and I really don't eat meatballs unless they're in spaghetti, so I think it's safe to say that I made this meal for HIM. ;-) Definitely a 'man meal,' in my opinion. (Although I often like 'man food' so it's not usually a sacrifice for me to make this type of food). I was skeptical about making my own meatballs, but I found this recipe, which seemed pretty easy. Here it is:

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 French baguette
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pinch salt, or to taste
• 1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 4 slices provolone cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, gently mix by hand the ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Shape into 12 meatballs, and place in a baking dish.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half lengthwise, and remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs. Brush with olive oil, and season with garlic powder and salt. Slip the baguette into the oven during the last 5 minutes of the meatball's time, or until lightly toasted.
4. While the bread toasts, warm the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. When the meatballs are done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Spoon onto the baguette and top with slices of provolone cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Cool slightly, cut into servings, and enjoy!

I just used regular sandwich rolls, and I didn't brush them with olive oil or season them at all. I just made the meatballs, (I made 20-ish instead of just 12 so that they'd cook faster) threw them in a pan with marinara sauce and onions, and then put the meatballs in the sandwich rolls and added swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It was pretty easy and didn't take too long, and my husband definitely liked them, but I think that if I make these again, I'll just buy some meatballs. I actually sampled some party-sized meatballs at Trader Joe's last week that were bomb! Throw those in my pan with marinara sauce and I've got even better meatballs that I didn't even have to make. Sounds like a win-win to me. :-)

These do look pretty good though, don't they?