Meatball Sandwiches

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup breadcrumbs

-2 Tbs. milk

-1 Tbs. olive oil, plus

  more for frying

-1 small yellow onion,

  finely chopped

-1 clove garlic, minced

-1 egg, beaten

-3 Tbs. fresh flat-leaf

  parsley, minced

-Salt and pepper

-1 ½ lb. ground beef

-2 cups Roasted Tomato

  Sauce (recipe below), or

  purchased marinara sauce

-4 6-inch crusty rolls, split

-6 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese,

  thinly sliced

-In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the 1 Tbs. oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly and add to the breadcrumb mixture. Add the egg, parsley, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and the beef and mix gently with your hands. Form into 12 equal-sized meatballs.

-In a large frying pan over medium heat, pour oil to a depth of ½ inch. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs. Cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard the oil and place the pan over medium-low heat. Add the tomato sauce and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the pan bottom. Add the meatballs and cook, covered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the rolls, cut sides up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread some of the sauce on the bottom half of each roll. Arrange 3 meatballs on each roll and top with the cheese. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plates, top with the remaining sauce and roll tops, and serve. 

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients:

-2 red bell peppers,

seeded and quartered

-2 yellow onions,

cut into wedges

-2 lbs. plum (Roma) tomatoes,

halved lengthwise and seeded

-2 heads garlic, halved crosswise

-1/4 cup olive oil

-Salt and pepper

-1 cup fresh basil, chopped

-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the peppers, onions, tomatoes, and garlic on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toss the vegetables with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread in an even layer. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool until easy to handle, then remove and discard the skins from the tomatoes and peppers and transfer the flesh to a bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the cloves into a bowl and add the roasted onions and basil. Pulse the vegetable mixture in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 days or 3 months in the freezer. When reheating, stir in 1-2 Tbs. olive oil.