Meatball Sub Sandwich Recipe

My Meatball Sub Sandwich is thick and juicy. For my Meatballs I use ground meat and a lot of sauteed veggies like spinach and mushrooms. You can leave out the veggies for a traditional heavy Meatball, too. Do check out my food blog for other cheap$kate yummy recipes: http://the99centchef.blogspot.com

Ingredients
Bread Rolls - for sandwiches. Okay to use any favorite bread like buns or sliced bread.
Ground Meat - 1 pound. Okay to use any favorite ground meat including pork, beef, veal, or poultry, or a ground meat mix.
Spinach - one bunch with most of the stems removed. Okay to use a 6-ounce package of spinach, or frozen spinach.
Mushrooms - sliced or chopped. 1 package, about 4 to 5 ounces, of any favorite mushrooms.
1 Onion - chopped.
Garlic - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or from a jar. Okay to use dried garlic.
Bread - 2 slices toasted. Break into small pieces to mix into ground meat and sauteed veggies.
Italian herbs - 1 teaspoon fresh or dried, including basil, oregano, sage, and parsley. For fresh herbs add 2 teaspoons.
Milk - 1/4 cup, optional.
Salt & Pepper - to taste, or about half a teaspoon total.
Oil - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. One tablespoon to saute onion, and one tablespoon to saute Meatballs.

Pasta Sauce
Red Wine - 1 cup, optional. Okay to use white wine or a favorite broth.
Tomato Sauce - 24-ounce can of crushed, diced, or tomato sauce. I often use 2 small 16-ounce cans. If I am feeding extra guests then I will add one more small can of tomato sauce or more water/broth - you can never have too much tomato sauce on a Meatball Sub.

Directions
In a large pan or pot saute onion for about 5 minutes in a tablespoon of oil until soft.

Add sliced or chopped mushrooms and saute until soft about 5 minutes.

Add chopped garlic and saute for another minute.

Wash the spinach and remove most of the stems. Add spinach and cover the pot or pan to seam spinach until soft for a few minutes. Give them a stir as spinach cooks down.

In a large bowl mix sauteed veggies, ground meat, egg, milk, and toasted bread.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and add 1 teaspoon of dried or fresh herbs.

Form the meat mixture into meatballs, any size you like (I like large ones) and add to the heated pan with oil.

Brown the meatballs for about 5 minutes on each side. You may need to do it in a couple of batches depending on the size of your pan or pot. Partially covering the pan helps firm up the meatballs by steaming, thus making them easier to turn without breaking apart. (Ground poultry is mushier than ground beef.)

Deglaze the pan with red wine and add tomato sauce. Okay to add another can of tomato sauce for extra servings.

Cover and low-simmer meatballs in Marinara Sauce for 1-2 hours until sauce is reduced by half. Add water or broth if the liquid cooks out too much. I like a thick sauce, but make it the way you like.

Make a Meatball Sandwich with any favorite bread, usually a bread roll. Serve Meatball Sub Sandwich with Marinara Sauce.

*Okay to leave out sauteed onion, mushrooms, and spinach for a traditional Meatball.