These huge sandwiches and their kicky sauce will satisfy the hungriest of your crew. To trim preparation time, substitute an 18-ounce package of frozen cooked meatballs (about 32 meatballs) for the homemade ones. Stir the frozen meatballs into the sauce to coat, then cook as directed.
ingredients
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
- 2/3 cup finely chopped onion (2 small)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 15 – ounce can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 small)
- 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce
- 8 hoagie buns, split and toasted
- 2 cups shredded mozzarela cheese (8 ounces)
directions
- In a large bowl, stir together egg, bread crumbs, 1/3 cup onion, the salt, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape meat mixture into 32 balls. Arrange meatballs in a single layer in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Drain off fat.
- For the sauce, in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, stir together tomato sauce, the remaining 1/3 cup onion, the sweet pepper, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, garlic salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the hot pepper sauce. Add cooked meatballs, stirring gently to coat with sauce.
- Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours or on high-heat setting for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
- Place four meatballs on the bottom of each bun. Top with some of the sauce and some of the cheese. Add bun tops. Makes 8 servings.
tip
- For Easy Cleanup: Line your slow cooker with a disposable slow cooker liner. Add ingredients as directed in recipe. Once your dish is finished cooking, spoon the food out of your slow cooker and simply dispose of the liner. Do not lift or transport the disposable liner with food inside.