Garden Herb Meatball Subs |

These meatball subs were inspired by a good friend of mine, Bonnie. I play in a ladies bunco group (Bunco, is a dice game that requires a lot of skill! ) where we meet once a month at someone’s home to roll dice, have some cocktails, dinner and do A LOT of chatting! I LOVE bunco with the ladies! The host provides dinner and my friend Bonnie made meatball subs the last time she hosted and they were AMAZING! I knew once I tasted one of these subs that I had to try and replicate them! The meatballs are full of delicious garden herbs and the fresh mozzarella cheese on this sub is AMAZING! Whatever you do BUY THE FRESH MOZZARELLA CHEESE!! It really makes such a difference.

Ingredients

2 lbs of ground beef

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 cup of chopped onions

1/4 cup of chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp of fennel seeds

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 cup of italian bread crumbs

2 loafs of french bread

1 pkg of fresh mozzarella cheese

Ingredients for Marinara Sauce

1 can of tomato sauce

1 tbsp of olive oil

1/4 cup of fresh oregano or basil

2 cloves of minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Yields: 8 servings

1.Start by preparing your meatballs. In a skillet add olive oil, chopped onions, minced garlic, oregano and parsley, Saute until the onions are translucent. Allow to cool slightly.
2.In a large bowl add beef, bread crumbs, sauteed onions, garlic and herbs, egg, and fennel seed. Mix well with your hands and form into uniform size balls rolling the meat mixture between your hands. Set them aside on a baking sheet.3.In the skillet you prepared the onion and herb mixture in add the other tbsp of olive oil, garlic and herbs sauteing for about one minute over medium-high heat. Then add tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Now add the meatballs into the sauce in the skillet turning meatballs so they can cook on all sides. For about 30 minutes. Then preheat oven to 350 degrees and place skillet in the oven allowing to cook for another 20 minutes.

TIP: I like to finish the meatballs in the oven to really insure my meatballs are cooked all the way through. You could also prepare this meal in a crockpot cooking on low for 4-6 hours. 5.Remove meatballs from the oven. Then with a sharp knife slice the bread through the middle of the loaf but not all the way through. You want the bread to open but not be two separate pieces. Then slice again into four sections so you have four subs.

6.Place on a baking sheet and add two pieces of mozzarella cheese to each subs bottom bun. Place in the oven cooking for about 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
7. Place two meatballs on the sub bun and serve hot!

TIP: These are SUPER MESSY but SUPER DELICIOUS! You can poke a couple tooth picks through the top of your subs to help them stay together while eating or roll up your sleeves and DIG IN! These subs are so savory! They are a simple and tasty way to feed the family! My boys LOVE these subs!