Homemade Pork-free Meatball Sandwich (with recipe)

I haven't made meatballs in a very, very longtime because they usually require pork to be yummy. Since my daughter is allergic to pork, I haven't been making any meatballs. Then, I saw Jane's meatball recipe that called for all beef. She said her husband raved about the meatballs so I decided to give the recipe a try. Sure enough, they're great!

Unfortunately, half way through my capellini and meatballs (I don't like thick spaghetti) I remember the other reason I hadn't made meatballs in forever: they make me gag. I have a really sensitive gag reflux, and meatballs trigger it. The flavor was sooooo good, though, I decided to try eating them again, but this time, in a sandwich!

Yummy. Yummy. Yummy!!! To make this delicious sandwich,
1. Bake some delicious homemade bread and then lightly toast it.
2. Slice your meatballs in half and heat them in the microwave.
3. Cover your meatballs with whole milk mozzarella, and then broil it just until the cheese is melted in you toaster oven.
4. Sprinkle on some real parmesan before smashing the sandwich together!

Of course, you need meatballs for this sandwich so I'll share the recipe from This Week For Dinner.

From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- 1 lb ground beef (I used 85/15 this time around)
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten (NOTE: I used 2 eggs because I substituted 93/7 beef. I thought the extra fat from the egg would be good with the reduced fat in the beef.)
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried diced onions (NOTE: I omitted these because I didn't have any)
- 1 fresh garlic clove, minced or pushed through a garlic press (NOTE: I used two b/c I didn't have the onion.)
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-5 cups prepared tomato sauce (homemade or jarred) (NOTE: I would recommend 5-6 cups of sauce.)
- 1 package spaghetti

Mix all ingredients (except tomato sauce and spaghetti) together by hand. Form into 1″ – 1-1/2″ balls (I think mine were closer to 1-1/2″ and I ended up with 38 meatballs). Don't overwork your meat; mix it just until it's combined.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Brown meatballs in oil, constantly rotating, until all sides are browned. You might need to brown them in batches if your pan isn't big enough for 38 meatballs. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes (make sure heat is high enough so sauce is simmering so that the meatballs cook all the way through). While meatballs are simmering, prepare spaghetti according to package instructions. Serve sauce and meatballs over spaghetti. And be sure not to sneeze…those meatballs have been known to roll off the table and onto the floor.