Meatball Subs with Garlic and Herb Fries

Meatball subs are always a crowd pleaser in my house! A few years ago, I even had one of my daughter’s friends ask that I share this recipe with her mom because she liked it so much! LOL! I’ve lightened it up by using hot Italian turkey sausage and extra lean ground beef, but the fresh and dried herbs give it so much flavor you don’t realize it’s healthy! We like to use Pepperidge Farm sub rolls for this, but if you’re following WW or just want to lighten it up even more, skip the bread and serve it over whole wheat pasta. It’s still super filling and delicious! I cut corners with the fries by using frozen crinkle cut fries, but add a garlic herb mixture before cooking them to jazz them up. Those have become another family favorite that we serve with burgers or steaks. Hope you like this one as much as we do!

To Make the Meatballs:

• 1 lb Laura’s 96% Lean Ground Beef
• 1 lb Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (removed from the casing)
• 2 small onions, diced and divided
• 6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• 1/3 cup fresh Italian Parsley
• 1/2 cup Progresso Italian Style Bread Crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Basil
• 2 tablespoons milk (I use skim milk, but any milk is fine)
• 2 teaspoons Private Selection Italian Seasoning
• 1 jar Barilla Regional Collection Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce
• 1 8 oz can Hunt’s No Salt Added Tomato Sauce
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Package Pepperidge Farm Bakery Classics Soft White Hoagie Rolls with Sesame Seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 and line 2 12×17 baking sheets with foil.

In a large bowl, mix the eggs, bread crumbs, 1 diced onion, 4 cloves of garlic, fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons of the Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Basil and milk together.

Add in the ground beef along with the Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Gently combine the ingredients together to incorporate the meat with all the seasonings. Add in the Italian Sausage until everything is combined. Be careful not to overmix or the meatballs can become very dense.

Now on to making the meatballs! You can make the meatballs any size you like, but I use an ice cream scoop that’s about a tablespoon or so in size. I can get around 44 meatballs using this size- 20 on one pan and 24 on the other. Once all the meatballs are made, put them in the oven for about 25 minutes until cooked through. (If your meatballs are larger than 1-2 tablespoons, you may need to cook them a little longer.)

While the meatballs are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and bring up to a medium high heat. Once heated, cook the other diced onion and the 2 remaining garlic cloves until the onions are softened. Add in the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, a pinch of salt and the remaining tablespoon of the dried basil. Bring to a summer and leave on low until the meatballs are cooked.

Once the meatballs are cooked, add them to the tomato sauce until all are coated. Serve each hoagie roll with about 3-4 meatballs and add your favorite cheese!

For the Garlic and Herb Fries:

• 1 32 oz bag Ore-Ida Golden Crinkles French Fried Potatoes
• Simple Truth Organic™ Salt Free Garlic Herb Seasoning Blend
• Chosen Foods Pure Avocado Spray Oil
• Salt

Add the fries to a baking sheet in an even layer and lightly coat with the avocado spray oil. Sprinkle with the garlic herb seasoning (as much or as little as you like) and cook per the package directions. Lightly sprinkle with salt while they’re still hot. We often use our air fryer and they turn out great!