Meatball Subs

I love a good meatball sub! What a great alternative to the traditional spaghetti and meatball dish. We don't usually make these at home but I did today and they were deeeelicious! The Boy had two helpings!!

Here's how I made the Meatballs:

Ingredients:
3 slices of white bread, crusts removed, diced
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 lb of ground beef
1/2 lb of sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup grated parmesan
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Light Olive Oil

What to do:
 - Combine bread crumbs and water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain some of the water off and then mash with a fork.
 - In a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchenaid Mixer) add: ground beef, sausage, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, and bread. Mix until combined.

 - Form meat into 1 1/2" balls. Should make about 25 balls. Then dredge the meatballs in the flour, dusting off any excess.

- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and begin browning each side. I don't worry about cooking them through at this point. Just make sure all areas of the meatball are browned. Then set meatballs aside.

Now, here's how I made the Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 - 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
2 Tbs basil, finely chopped

What to do:
 - Cut onion into quarters and peel garlic. Place in a small food processor and puree until paste-like. We do this because other family members do not like chunks of onion in their food but they like the flavor that the onion brings to the dish. Feel free to mince the onion and garlic instead.
 - In the same pot you browned the meatballs, over medium heat, brown the onion and garlic until translucent.
 - Add the water and crushed tomatoes and the bay leaves. Bring to a light boil.


Now, add meatballs back into the pot with the sauce, partially cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, turning meatballs occasionally. Meatballs will be tender and the sauce will thicken. About 5 minutes before you are ready to serve, drop in the basil and salt and pepper.

Assembly
Then load up you hoagie rolls with a few meatballs, some extra sauce and fresh mozzerella!!

Final Touch
I will then place the subs under a broiler for a quick toasting of the cheeses.

Really, these are amazing!!! You should try them.