My dad had the brilliant idea when I was growing up to try making fresh meatballs in the microwave; absolute game changer. The microwave uniformly cooks the meatballs all the way through. So leveraging this cooking method, along with some research online, I put together this meatball sub recipe! Also, if you are making a meatloaf or meatballs gluten free, substitute rice cakes for the bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• Meatballs
  • 2 cups rice cakes, crushed
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • ½ cup minced onion
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic
  • 2/3 cup parmesan powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 4 Tbs Olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tbs dried basil
  • 4 Tbs dried parsley
• Marinara Sauce
  • 1          large white onion, minced
  • 3 Tbs.   garlic, minced
  • 1          28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • ½ Tbs.  salt
• Sandwich
  • Dried oregano
  • Dried basil
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Provolone
  • Mozzarella
  • Baby spinach
  • Italian rolls

Instructions

1. Meatballs – Combine all meatball ingredients, form into meatballs (about 1 inch in diameter), microwave in batches, flipping after 5 minutes, for 10 minutes total.
2. Marinara
   • Sauté the onion and garlic in a saucepan with the olive oil over medium heat till translucent.
   • Add crushed tomatoes, bring to simmer, put on low heat, cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Sandwich
   • Coat Italian rolls with mixture of provolone and mozzarella. Melt in oven.
   • Top with meatballs and sauce.
   • Sprinkle with dried herbs and red pepper flakes, add baby spinach to taste.

Yield: Lunch for 5 people