Quick Meatball Hoagies or Buns

           This is a quick meal I like to make for the boys. In the recipe I list store bought everything, but you can always make your marinara, meatballs, or buns from scratch. I like to keep a bag of either the store-bought meatballs or my own Italian meatballs in the freezer for those random days when we need something quick. It’s also a great way for me use up leftover tomato sauce and cheese from Jim making his pizza. I use my marina recipe, but instead of cooking the carrots in I add sugar. This way it doesn’t take as long and since it already has garlic, I don’t have to worry about blending it down at all. Or I grab one of my jars of sauce from the shelf I canned ahead of time from the same recipe. Cooking the frozen store-bought meatballs in the broth first helps to add flavor and moisture.

They plump up with all the goodness from the broth. If you cooked them on a pan the excess fat would cook out onto a tray and leave the meat dry. Instead that fat is replaced with broth. It’s a win win for me and has become the only way I will cook frozen meatballs.  I like to use a soft brioche bun that is toasted for these, but you can use any hoagie bread or burger buns you like. Toast them first to add a little more flavor to the buns. Top with some shredded mozzarella and provolone and you are left with a perfect meatball sub that took very little time to make. Enjoy!