Meatball Sub Sandwich

Whenever I see ground beef on sale, I buy a lot of it . . . like 30 pounds. And then for the next few months I wonder what in the world I'm going to make with it so I can get it out of my freezer. This is one of my favorite uses for it. I've cooked this two different ways. One way is to put it all in the crock pot on low for 6 - 8 hours. The other way is to cook the meatballs in the oven and then add them to the sauce on the stove. I like the oven recipe better because the fat from the beef ends up in the bottom of the broiler pan instead of the sauce. But, if you use a lean enough meat, the crock pot works great and as always, it is super convenient on a crazy evening.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

6 hoagie buns

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt to taste

1 (14 oz) jar spaghetti sauce

6 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, gently mix by hand the ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, pepper, salt, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese and eggs. Shape into 24 meatballs and place on broiler pan. (This can be done ahead of time and placed in refrigerator until ready to cook.)

Bake for about 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, cut the buns in half and remove some of the bread inside to make a well for the meatballs. Brush with olive oil and season with garlic powder and salt.

Warm the spaghetti sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce. Toast the bread in the oven while the sauce is warming. Spoon meatballs and sauce onto the bun and top with provolone cheese. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese.