Cheesy garlic bread & meatball rolls

A quick and easy twist on meatball sandwiches that’s great for parties.

You will need:

24 butter rolls/buns

3 tbsp butter

5 1/2 garlic cloves, divided (four cloves should be minced for the bread, 1 should be grated for the meatballs and then remaining half should be grated for the sauce)

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1 lb ground beef

1 1/4 tsp salt, divided

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs or crushed crackers

1 medium onion, half grated into mixture and half finely chopped

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tsp Italian seasoning, divided

1 tbsp olive oil

4 oz tomato paste

1/3 cup red wine

6 oz water

1 tsp sugar

16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Method

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a medium baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut holes in the tops of each roll. (Traced around a tablespoon so the holes are curved). Remove bread so you have a hole big enough to fit meatballs. Add butter and garlic to a small saucepan. Turn the heat on medium-low and cook until the garlic is softened, about 1-2 minutes. Brush the insides of the rolls with garlic butter then sprinkle evenly with garlic salt. Place on baking sheet and bake until slightly golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. While the rolls cook, make the meatballs. Add beef, 1 garlic clove, minced, 1 tsp salt, egg, crushed crackers or bread crumbs, onion, Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning to a bowl. Combine the meat with the rest of the ingredients; do not over-mix. Form into 24 meatballs. Add 2 tsp of olive oil to a large skillet. Brown one side of the meatballs, then remove them from the pan and pour in red wine. Use a spoon to get any brown bits off the bottom. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato paste, water, sugar, remaining salt and Italian seasoning. Whisk to combine. Add meatballs to sauce, cover and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 7 minutes. Once meatballs are cooked through and rolls are crisp, spoon a little bit of sauce into each roll. Evenly divide the cheese in each roll, nestle meatballs in rolls, then cover with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, about 7-8 minutes.

Tips:

If there is no Italian seasoning available, then replace with any other flavour or use all-purpose seasoning. Any ground meat can be used as well.