Cheesy Easy Meatball Subs
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Serves: 6 BIG sandwiches
 
Big fat flavorful chicken meatballs covered in tomato sauce and part-skim mozzarella cheese on toasty buns.
Ingredients
  • For the Meatballs:
  • 2 pounds ground chicken
  • ½ cup quick oats (OR seasoned bread crumbs)
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 medium onion, very finely minced (1/2 - ¾ cup)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • For the Subs:
  • whole wheat sub loaves (6 if you are making large meatballs)
  • olive oil for brushing the bread
  • your favorite tomato sauce
  • 6 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. To make the meatballs preheat the oven to 375 and lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil.
  2. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl until everything is evenly incorporated (kind of like when you make meat loaf).
  3. I divided the mixture into 14 large meatballs and spaced them evenly on the prepared baking sheet, flattening the bottom just slightly so that the meatballs didn't roll around in transport.
  4. Bake the meatballs for about 40 minutes (less if you make smaller meatballs). You are looking for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
  5. While the meatballs bake, slice the sub loaves and brush the inside of each with just a little olive oil.
  6. When the meatballs are done place 2 on each prepared loaf. Cover the meatballs with sauce, add about an ounce of cheese to each sandwich, and place them on the same baking sheet you used to cook the meatballs (chicken is very lean-- I never have any trouble with my baking sheet being greay but wipe it down if you need to!). I leave my sandwiches open when baking.
  7. Bake until the sauce is kind of bubbly and the cheese is melty. The edges of the bread will toast and become brown.
  8. Serve hot!
Notes
These meatballs freeze very well. If you are not feeding a huge amount of hungry people like me, feel free to halve the recipe or wrap the cooked AND cooled meatballs tightly in plastic to freeze.
Recipe by Sugar Dish Me at https://www.sugardishme.com/cheesy-easy-meatball-subs/