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He went home, but his mom brought him back an hour later. He had taped all the pieces together and written, XOXO I love Valentine. He delivered it with a big hug and said, “I want to marry you Valentine!” and then ran away. It was a very sweet moment.
Calvin’s mom Mardee apologized again for Calvin tearing her card. Valentine coyly approaches her, making Mardee think Valentine wants a hug, so they do. While in her arms, Valentine looks deeply into her eyes for a prolonged moment and admits, “I want one piece of your hair from your head.” Mardee has beautiful long red hair.
Guys, what even?? What kind of children am I raising?? Not only did Val know that this was the exact vulnerable moment when she could ask for something she wanted, but perhaps more disturbingly, what secret potion is she planning on making with the hair?? And what is the proper mothering technique to convince her that she shouldn’t be Gimli-ing every Galadriel she sees??
I told Mardee she should add this to her resume. “Highly sought after strands of hair for use in ancient rituals and/or pretend play.”
These kids, man. Speaking of resumes though, my sister Laura should be adding these Meatball Subs to HER resume. I am obsessed with these!!
I’ve dreamed about those subs ever since!! It’s been on my list to recreate this recipe for at least 4 years. My food memory is long, folks 😂
Laura is a way more intuitive cook than me. She’s always tossing in a little of this, a little of that, and it comes out like magic. I nailed her down and begged her to measure out every single spice so that we could all enjoy making her amazing subs, and here we are! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, Laura!
And I tell you, a great sauce is absolutely KEY to making the greatest sub! It of course must have TONS of perfectly-spiced tomato flavor. The sauce also needs to be pretty substantial. No watery, runny marinara sauce making your subs soggy sad, that just won’t do. The sauce in this recipe is like a very thick homemade marinara sauce. THICC, guys.
But if you are looking to impress, and want the BEST fresh flavor, make my super easy (no chop) recipe for Easy Baked Meatballs. It’s a simple recipe with ground beef, ground pork, oats or breadcrumbs, garlic, and all the other Italian spices you love.
However you do the meatballs, add them with the dreamy sauce to a toasted sub roll with some mozzarella or Provolone, and you’ll be in sandwich heaven. It’s a real place I think, guys. If I ever make it to heaven and find out there’s no sandwich corner, I’m writing to management.
While the onions are softening, finely mince your garlic, and add all the spices to a bowl to be added at once:
Cook the onions with the spices and garlic for a hot minute so they get all toasty and fragrant, then add in a scoop of Better than Bouillon Beef Base and a can of tomato paste.
Here’s an easy trick for getting all the tomato paste out of the can. Use the can opener to open the top AND bottom of the can. Carefully push the top lid in enough that you can safely remove the bottom lid from the other side, scraping any paste off. Continue pushing on the lid to move all the tomato paste down and out the bottom of the can into the pot. Voila!
Add the crushed tomatoes and use the spoon to scrape any brown bits off the bottom. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir until everything is evenly mixed.
Now listen up, folks. This is the BEGINNING OF LIFE for this here baby-sauce. Every time I make this I’m a little worried at this point because it doesn’t taste quite right. That’s because it needs to be simmered down. Time in the pot allows all the flavors to combine. Don’t fret if it doesn’t taste quite like a finished sauce right now, because it’s not!
At this point, you can add the meatballs and simmer the sauce on the stove if you are short on time. You will need to simmer COVERED for at least an hour, two is probably better, keeping an eye on it and adding more broth if necessary.
But I prefer to transfer the whole thing to my slow cooker. It comes out perfect every time!
Add your frozen meatballs to a slow cooker, then carefully add in the baby sauce. Stir everything together really well so all the meatballs get covered.
Cover with the lid, and heat on high for two hours or on low for four hours. If you have the slow cooker set to low, the meatballs and sauce can simmer for quite a long time with no problems. Laura told me she was stuck at an appointment that ran long one time and cooked them on low for almost 7 hours. They were just fine!
When you are ready to eat, turn the heat off and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Now it’s time to toast some bunzzzz. A note on this: You want a French roll or hoagie roll that is rather sturdy. I tried King Hawaiian’s new sub bread and it was a disaster! Way too soft. Laura told me to try the “Steak Rolls” from Walmart, they look just like regular sub bread, but they are about half the size (that’s what’s in today’s photos.) I like them because they are smaller, I could never eat an entire full size sub myself!
Whatever bun you use, you have to broil them by themselves for a few minutes so the bread itself gets toasty and firm, the better to hold up against all that sauce.
Then, once your bread is toasty, we make the magic happen: we are melting cheese directly on the roll so that there is even more of a barrier between the bread and the meatballs. This means you are getting a sandwich with cheese on bottom and cheese on top and this is NOT an apology!! More cheese please.
Broil for just a couple minutes, DON’T walk away!! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lit my bread on fire in this exact situation 😳 don’t be like me. You can even leave the door of the oven open to watch it as it broils.
My family prefers to serve these buffet style. They like to choose their bun (with cheese already on it), then add the meatballs and sauce they want, and add more cheese on top.
The other option is to fill each of the buns on the pan yourself with meatballs and sauce, add more cheese on top, and put all of it back into the oven to bake until the cheese melts on top. Again, it should only take a minute or two under the broiler so keep a close eye on them.
That’s it! Easy peasy guys.
You can totally make this recipe cheater-style, using the best jarred sauce on the market. Rao’s homemade marinara comin in CLUTCH, folks. The result is not quite as thick or rich as the original recipe, but still incredibly tasty, and on the table in about 30 minutes. Can’t argue with that. Check the recipe notes for all the details!
a different kind of cheese to spice things up. Provolone, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, these are all good options that melt well! Parmesan would be good too, though it doesn’t melt as well. sliced onions or bell peppers, raw grilled onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms pepperoncini or olives for a briny kick (this actually sounds so good and I want to try, love pepperoncinis) jalapenos or red pepper flakes for spice fresh, chopped herbs like parsley or basil a nice drizzle of good Alfredo sauce in the red sauce to make it a “pink sauce” meatball sub. My kids would love this!
Strawberry Spinach Salad » a classic, never gets old! Green Salad with Feta and Beets (The Fanciest No-Chop Salad Ever) » this comes together SO fast Raspberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing » I love how light and bright this salad is with the poppy seed dressing Easy Broccoli and Bacon Salad » pretty sure this salad goes with whatever dish you’re serving for dinner Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe » super easy from frozen, bonus all my kids like it How to Make Zucchini Noodles Without a Spiralizer » not feeling the sub part of meatball subs? Serve the meatballs up over a bed of these easy zucchini noodles! Lemon Dijon Green Beans Almondine » tons of flavor, and can be made ahead and reheated right before dinner Everyday Kale Salad from Iowa Girl Eats
If you have already prepared sandwiches left over, my suggestion is to stuff them down your gullet. Ha! Or find someone to give them to. But truly, the shelf life of prepared meatball sandwiches is pretty short since the sauce (even with our melted cheese barrier) is eventually going to make the bread too soggy to be enjoyable. If you’re not sure how much everyone will eat, serve the sandwiches buffet-style so you can store leftovers separately. Wait for the meatballs and sauce to come to room temperature, then add them to a ziplock freezer bag. Be sure to leave a bit of air at the top, as the sauce will expand as it freezes. The meatballs and sauce will last about 4-6 months in the freezer. To use, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm all of it in a sauce pan for 20-30 minutes. You can also freeze sub sandwich rolls. In a sealed bag they should be good for 1-2 months. Don’t even try to freeze already-assembled sandwiches, have some self respect. They will be a soggy mess and you’re better than that.
Baked Meatball Recipe » my go-to, easiest basic meatball recipe. Perfect for so many different recipes, and about as easy as meatball recipe can get! Grandma Prudy’s Swedish Meatballs » These are a traditional CLASSIC at our house, and eaten every Christmas Eve with Eric’s family Easy Baked Mexican Meatballs » you can’t go wrong with Fritos in a meatball, and a delicious red enchilada sauce over the top. YUM. Raspberry Balsamic Meatballs (Slow Cooker) » bring these as an appetizer, and they’ll be gone like that
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (Oven Roasted Option) » melt-in-your-mouth tender pulled pork, almost zero effort Slow Cooker Basil Chicken Coconut Curry Recipe » there is so much flavor packed into this super easy coconut curry! The Best Chili Recipe Ever! (Slow Cooker) » the best chili recipe to come from my kitchen, ever Easy Fall-Apart Crock Pot Roast with Carrots (Slow Cooker) » look like a pro with a simple pot roast recipe that turns out every time Slow Cooker Cabbage and Sausage from Budget Bytes
