Meatball Panini

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 611kcal

Ingredients

28 oz Whole tomatoes (canned) preferably San Marzano Tomatoes (or use store bought pre made tomato sauce)
2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves Garlic slivered
1/4 cup Fresh basil chopped, keep the stems
1 cup Sourdough bread crust discarded, inside chopped (substitute breadcrumbs if desired, use half the amount)
1/4 cup Milk
3/4 lb Ground beef
1/4 cup Fresh parsley chopped
Nonstick spray
4 Asiago Roll (or roll of your choice)
4 tsp Parmesan cheese grated or shredded

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them up with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into the can and slosh it around to get the tomato juices and set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, once the oil is hot, add the garlic and basil stems. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic just starts to become golden brown. Stir in tomatoes and water from the can, season generously with salt, bring to a simmer.
In the meantime, mix together the bread and milk, let sit until the bread soaks up the milk. Mix in the ground beef, parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Using your hands, form the meat into bite-sized balls (dampen your hands with water to prevent the meat from sticking).
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the meatballs in batches without crowding the pan and sauté until nicely browned all over.
Add the meatballs into the sauce, Bring to a simmer, turning occasionally, cook to an internal temperature of 160°F using a thermometer.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
Warm the roll in a 350 degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
Spoon some of the marinara sauce onto both halves of the rolls. Cut the meatballs in half (if desired) and portion them onto the rolls top with parmesan and some more sauce (be careful not to over sauce the sandwich. Freeze any leftover sauce for future use).
Cut in half and serve with sauce on the side for the mozzarella sticks (see recipe in menu).

Notes

Pro tip: Marinara sauce can be made 2 to 3 days in advance to help save time. This is also a great place to use any extra sauce you may have frozen from past recipes. If making the sauce fresh use what you need and freeze the rest.

Nutrition