I recently made meatball subs for a friend with a newborn baby girl, and of course that meant we had the same thing for dinner. They are so so delicious, but this meal can take some time. Keep reading, here is how you make it worth your while… I posted my grandma’s Norwegian Meatball recipe with lefse awhile back (also an incredible meal) but the beauty of them is that they are just really good meatballs in a Norwegian gravy sauce. Put the exact same meatballs in a marinara sauce and they’re Italian, good for subs or on spaghetti.
This of course means, you invest a little time some Sunday afternoon, make a ton of meatballs and freeze them raw for all different meals, well worth your efforts. I freeze them in portions enough for one meal for my family, thaw them in the refrigerator and then use them whichever way, or just cook them and eat them plain with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. The recipe below is the exact same as the Norwegian version, just doubled (yes 4 pounds worth!) and without the gravy sauce….once you have the meatballs in your freezer you can try both versions or use them in any meatball recipe. Both recipes are good with a simple salad.
Put on the Godfather soundtrack and get in the kitchen…
I hope this dinner eased the newborn baby exhaustion for my friend for at least one night. I’m planning on getting my freezer stocked for myself, our little girl gets here in less than two months!
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, small dice, olive oil, salt and pepper
- 2 lb ground beef (you can also do 3lb beef and 1lb pork, just total 4lb)
- 2 lb ground pork
- 3 eggs
- 2 c breadcrumbs
- 4 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1 c milk
- 2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 T kosher salt
- 12 grinds pepper
- 1/2 c grated Parmesan
- 1 jar or homemade marinara sauce (or more or less depending on how many meatballs you are cooking at a time)
- hoagie buns
- provolone or mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a saute pan on low heat, caramelize onion until golden brown in a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, stir occasionally, about 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, mix all other meatball ingredients in a large bowl, including onions when they are done
- Form into meatballs and set on a sheet pan. They should be about golf ball size, use an ice cream scoop to portion. About 28 meatballs depending on the size. (this can be done ahead of time up to this point and kept in the fridge)
- Freeze extra raw meatballs in containers or freezer bags, in portions right for your family (thaw in fridge before cooking)
- Preheat oven to 400
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven with 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter over medium high heat. Brown the meatballs on one side then flip and do the other side (about 2 minutes per side). Cook meatballs in batches so you do not crowd the pan if you are making alot. Don't worry if they break apart a bit in the browning process, that will all become part of the sauce. When done return them to the sheet pan (don’t worry that it had the raw meatballs on them, you will be baking the whole thing)
- Place pan in oven for about 15 minutes to cook the meatballs through (you can cut one open to check)
- Add meatballs back to the browning pot and add marinara sauce and simmer about 15 minutes or on very low until ready to serve
- Assemble subs on hoagie buns (break meatballs in half if they are too big to fit in the bun) topped with cheese. Bake on a sheet pan until cheese is bubbly and bread is toasted.
