Recipe review

Mama’s Meatball Sandwiches
Just Like my Grandmother used to cook
Page 124

Ingrediants
For the meatballs
8 ounces lean ground beef
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon low-fat milk
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
1 large egg white
nonstick cooking spray

Ingredients for sauce:
4 ounces bulk Italian sausage
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup chopped sweet green pepper
1 can (8 oz) low sodium tomato sauce
1 cup low sodium stewed tomatoes, undrained and cut up
1 teaspoon each dried Basil and Oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon EACH salt and black pepper
4 white French or Italian rolls, each 7 inches long
¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1) Meatballs. In medium bowl; mix meatball ingredients (except cooking spray). Form into 16 meatballs.
2) Coat a 1- inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 5 minutes or until browned and turning as necessary. Remove the meatballs and drain off fat.
3) In same skillet, combine sausage, onion and green pepper. Cook over moderate high heat until sausage is cooked through. Drain off fat (what fat? I didn’t have any). Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. Return meatballs to skillet.
4) Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until meatballs are not pink and the sauce is thickened. Stir occasionally.
5) Preheat the broiler. Cut a thin slice from the top of each rolls and discard. Hollow out the rolls. Spoon the meatballs and sauce mix into the rolls.. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Broil the sandwiches 4 inches from the heat for 1 minute or until the cheeses melt. Makes 4 servings

Prep time 15 minutes. Cooking time 30 minutes

Results: Very easy and a great tasting sandwich. I used a loaf of French bread (trying to save some money) and in future will spend the extra money and either use store bought or make my own rolls. When I formed the meatballs I did not get 16 meatballs – only 7. The extra sauce could also be used either over noodles or added to spaghetti sauce. Personally “discarding” the unused bread just bugs me – I save it and use it in my homemade bread crumbs. The Meatballs were so good that I used the remaining ground beef and sausage to make another batch of meatballs that are in the freezer for a future meal.