Meatball Sub Sandwiches with Mushrooms and Cheese
Whether it’s for the big game, company, or a family event, these Meatball Sub Sandwiches with Mushrooms and Cheese will be welcome by all!
I’ll be perfectly honest, I had no intention of making these sandwiches the feature of a blog post. I recently posted about my favorite recipe for Meatballs that I serve with Spaghetti and shared that I love making a big batch and freezing some for later.
When the later turned out to be for these sandwiches and they were so good and well received, well, I hope you’ll find this recipe worthwhile too.
The truth is, it’s simply what I did to put together a sandwich…is that a recipe? I guess we could call it a Fast and Easy one right?
So while I do love using my homemade meatballs; I know lots of friends that buy those packages of them from Costco too…so yes, use those if you want.
If you are inclined though, these meatballs are the best. I make them and freeze a bunch of them; we always have beef and Italian sausage meatballs at the ready!
While I made my favorite Tomato Sauce using a tried and true recipe; again, use what works for you. Have a favorite marinara…either your own or a jarred sauce? Use it. This is really about putting together a great sandwich for a crowd, not about you spending the day in the kitchen, right?
This sandwich is perfect for family dinners, football games and it’s been something I know friends have loved if I’ve offered to bring a meal. I don’t spend a day in the kitchen cooking but they get something that feels homemade. That is always a plus if someone is recuperating; it is about showing them some love!
I actually had some friends showing up to watch (and suffer) for a Broncos game and it shows in these photos. My friends know the drill but it doesn’t mean they aren’t standing on the sidelines with their plate; oh the pressure!
I don’t always plan days ahead, make a dish, photograph it and then make it again for the game. Nope…so trying to get good photos when people are standing at the ready to eat? Not easy. No perfect photos? Oops!
Anyway; this is really a simple post about how I put one of these sub sandwiches together; it’s not a recipe for all of the components. I start with the bread; I like to brush some olive oil and butter on the bread and toast it so it doesn’t get soggy.
Next I’ll saute a big onion that I’ve sliced and add some fresh mushrooms when they’re almost done; I like mushrooms just ever so slightly cooked.
Today was mushrooms only though; I have a friend who hates onions. I can sneak them by him in sauces but sautéed onions? No way.
Although they are not visible on the sandwich, I did sauté a big onion and serve it on the side, for those of us who LOVE a big mound of caramelized onions on our sandwich. Win win.
I will occasionally acquiesce in recipes when I know Casey will be here since he will forever be the guy who spent half a day digging a hole for a huge tree in my back yard; I call it The Casey Tree. No onions? No problem!
Having company come visit? Have one of these ready and I promise they will love you forever. On second thought, have two. 🙂
PIN IT! ‘Meatball Sub Sandwiches with Mushrooms and Cheese’
Meatball Sub Sandwiches with Mushrooms and Cheese
Ingredients
For the French Bread
- 1 loaf French bread
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic
To Make the Sandwich
- 3 cups Spaghetti Sauce homemade or jarred
- Approximately 2 lbs of prepared meatballs
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 6 oz swiss cheese grated or sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the French bread in half. Melt together the olive oil and butter and use a pastry brush to brush the cut surface of the bread with the melted mixture. Cut the garlic cloves in half and rub the tops of the bread with the cut halves. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the bread surface is toasted. Remove from oven; leave oven on.
- While the bread is baking, combine the spaghetti sauce and meatballs in a large pan on medium heat. Bring to heat, then simmer for at least 10 minutes.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet, add mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes, until softened and moisture has cooked off.
- When the bread is toasted, remove it from the oven. Top with meatballs and sauce, then mushrooms and finish with the Swiss cheese.
- Return the loaves to the oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from oven, slice and serve.
