As you know (hopefully you know), I’ve been cooking and eating my way through Chrissy Teigen’s latest cookbook, ‘Hungry for More‘. I’m not cooking every recipe – there’s just not enough time in the day for me to dedicate to that. I am, however, reading through and picking one or two recipes from each section to try out. You all know how much I love this cookbook and I’m hoping to do much better with exploring the other cookbooks I own when I’m done with this one.
In 2018, I made a food resolution to do a better job at actually using my cookbooks. I have some pretty good ones and it’s a shame that they just sit on a bookshelf collecting dust. I promise to do a better job (I’m saying this out loud to hold myself accountable). Over the holidays I wrote about some must-have cookbooks and even though the holidays are over, these books are still very necessary to your cookbook collection.
Obviously, this cookbook is on the list.
Hungry for More: Sandwiches
I love sandwiches, I don’t always make them for lunch or dinner but I do appreciate a good [hot] sandwich every now and then. I say ‘hot’ because I really love hot sandwiches. Yes, I’ll eat other deli-type sandwiches but one of the reasons why I’ve never really been a fan of Jimmy John’s is mainly because they have no hot sandwiches. Yes, I know it’s not part of their ‘brand’ but I like a hot, cheesy sandwich sometimes.
Alright, enough of my random rambling let’s talk about Hungry for More sandwiches!
In this section, there are 9 recipes featuring a variety of sandwiches like:
- chicken teriyaki burgers
- sweet & spicy peach & brie grilled cheese
- crispy bacon & sweet pickles patty melts
- pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches
- cheesy knife & fork meatball subs
Honestly, everything sounded really good. I planned on making three sandwiches from the section but I got lazy and decided to make two. We went with meatball subs and the patty melt. I’ve only had a patty melt once. I never really understood what they were. Isn’t it just a simplified burger? Whatever a patty melt claims to be, this one was DELICIOUS. If all patty melts taste like this, I’m definitely ordering them at restaurants from now on.
The sauce for the meatball subs was really good. It yielded enough for leftovers. I took our leftover sauce and froze it for pasta later. I think it was a smart decision on my part. You can even make these meatballs for pasta and not do the subs. The choice is yours. I loved both of these sandwiches and I’m definitely planning on revisiting this section to try a few more. Today, I’m sharing the recipe for the meatball subs. As usual, go snag the book for the other sandwich recipes.
Warning: the sub recipe looks a little overwhelming but I promise it isn’t. It’s really easy – just be sure to read through the recipe a few times before starting. You’ll whip these up in no time.
Cheesy Meatball Subs
Notes
*Fresh bread crumbs - take some old bread and place in a food processor. Blend until it's crumbly.
**The original recipe calls for 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 jumbo onion, finely chopped
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 3 (28oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, in juice
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp sugar
For the meatballs
- 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs*
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 pound ground chuck**
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated
- 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the subs
- 4 hot dog buns
- 4 tbsp butter, room temperature
- Garlic salt
- 8 slices provolone cheese, halved
- Flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Instructions
Make the sauce
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add in the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Then add in the tomatoes (and their juices), and the seasonings (oregano, basil, salt and sugar) - bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 30 minutes).
- Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth. Allow it to simmer for 15 more minutes.
Meatballs
- While the sauce is simmering, place the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add milk and stir; let it seat for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the egg then add the meat, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and basil - gently mix everything with your hands. Be careful not to overmix (the meatballs will be tough if you do). Form the mixture into 12 meatballs.
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, turning so they dno't get too crusty (5-6 minutes total).
- When the sauce is ready, gently drop the meatballs into the sauce, cover, and simmer over low heat until the meatballs have cooked through (about 30 minutes).
Make the subs
- Split the buns open, spread with softened butter and sprinkle them with garlic salt. Place buns on a boiler proof pan then place in the broiler until golden (keep an eye on them).
- Arrange meatballs, provolone halves and some sauce to the buns then return to the broiler until the cheese is melted - about 2 more minutes. Garnish with parsley.
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