Menu Plan and Recipe for Meatball Subs (and meatballs!)

Dinners

Sunday: Meatball Subs (see below)
Monday: Taco Salad
Tuesday: Sherry’s Chicken with Noodles
Wednesday: Salmon with Primordial Ooze
Thursday: Fend for yourself night
Friday: Salmon Salad
Saturday: Kids at Gramma’s
Sunday: Chicken Picatta

Lunches

Grilled cheese, quesadillas, PB&J, cheese and meat sandwiches, eggs in hats, beans and weinies

Breakfasts

Cinnamon rolls, cereal, farina, oatmeal, smoothies, mmmuffins

Meatball Sub Sandwiches

Meatball submarine sandwiches

1 batch of hoagie rolls
3 cups of marinara sauce
1/2 batch of meatballs (see below)
8 slices provolone
1/4 cup parmesan, grated

Heat the meatballs in the sauce over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Immediately turn the heat down to a slow simmer, and let the sauce simmer for 15-30 minutes (if using frozen meatballs, increase the time 10 minutes). Stir occasionally, but gently – you don’t want your meatballs to fall apart.

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut a slit in the top of your rolls and split them open, leaving the bottom intact. Tear each half of cheese in half, and put two halves in each bun. Arrange the buns on a half sheet baking pan. Spoon the meatballs evenly among the rolls, and spoon a little extra sauce over the meatballs in each bun. Put the pan in the oven for 5-8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and the buns are warm. Remove from oven and top with parmesan cheese.

Baked Meatballs

1 pound ground chuck
1/2 cup bread crumbs*
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 small onion, grated
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons basil, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350°. Grease or spray a half sheet pan.  In a big bowl, mix everything together. Don’t overmix.  Roll into balls and bake on the prepared sheet pan for 35-50 minutes.

Freeze individually on a clean cookie sheet and then put in a big freezer bag or two.

*If your meatball mixture feels particularly loose, you can add some more bread crumbs. Don’t add too much, though, or they’ll taste like bread balls instead of meat balls.

I used canned marinara sauce, because I have had no luck with making a tasty marinara sauce of my own, and the brand I buy is frequently on sale for 99¢  per can.  Do you have a great marinara recipe that you use?

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie and Homemaker Monday at 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven.