Meatball Sub
A classic meatball sandwich recipe featuring homemade meatballs made from a blend of beef, pork, and veal, combined with bread crumbs, eggs, cheese, and herbs. The meatballs are browned in olive oil, baked with marinara sauce, and then served as focaccia sandwiches with melted mozzarella and additional cheese, broiled until golden.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk, mixing them thoroughly, and let stand for 10 minutes, until the bread crumbs are hydrated.
Timer: 10m - 2
Add the eggs, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, oregano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino, and a dash of olive oil and mix everything until combined.
- 3
Add the shredded pork, and veal. Use your hands to really work the meat until everything comes together into a nice homogeneous mixture.
- 4
Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit in the fridge for 1 hour. Resting them will help stabilize the mixture and make it easier to handle without overworking.
Timer: 1h - 5
After the mixture has rested, portion the meat mixture into 2-ounce balls. Always like to use an ice cream scoop to start to get even balls. Afterwards I'll wet my hands like to use an ice cream scoop to start to get even balls. Afterwards I'll wet my hands with water and to prevent them from sticking and shape them into nice balls.
- 6
In a medium bowl, add the all-purpose flour. Gently dust each meatball with the flour. This will help with browning.
- 7
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- 8
Pour ½ inch of olive oil into a large cast-iron skillet and bring it up over medium heat. Brown your meatballs in batches, about 10 minutes on all sides. Be gentle with them—they're delicate.
Timer: 10m - 9
Transfer the cooked meatballs to a large baking dish and cover them with the marinara.
- 10
Bake until they are completely cooked and have reached an internal temperature of 165°F, 30 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
Timer: 30m - 11
Preheat your broiler on high.
- 12
Slice your focaccia horizontally in half. On the bottom half, spread your meatballs 4 by 4.
- 13
Top with a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano and one slice of mozzarella per meatball. Place these onto a baking sheet.
- 14
Broil on high until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned, 5 minutes.
Timer: 5m - 15
Top each ball with the marinara they cooked in and the remaining slice of bread.
- 16
Then skewer each ball to cut into 16 sandwiches!