Crockpot Meatball Subs

Video below on how to make this 4-year-in-the-making recipe

Friends! This is going to sound crazy, but this meatball sub recipe is the original Load of Crock recipe test from the fall of 2018. The OG of LoC, if you will. 4 years ago, when we had this idea for the Load of Crock channel, this was the first recipe I ever started testing. That's right. Started. And then, never finished.  But, the wait is over, and trust me, it was worth it.

 Ingredients/Recipe:

• 1.5-2 1bs. ground beef

• 1 egg (beaten)

• 1 1/4 C Italian bread crumbs

• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

• 1 small can tomato paste

• 1/4 C olive oil

• 1/4 C white sugar

• 1 tbsp. each of dried basil, dried oregano and crushed red pepper

• Salt and pepper

• French bread

• Shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese

• Shredded parmesan cheese

Putting it Together:

Making the meatballs

In a bowl combine the ground beef, bread crumbs and beaten egg, and then using your hands, mix all together until the meat is nicely coated with the egg and crumbs. After this, begin rolling the desired size of meatballs.

Making the sauce

Combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, white sugar, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper, and give it a good mix.

Spray your crockpot and then add in the meatballs, and once all in the crockpot, pour over the red sauce mix. Place on low for 2 to 2.5 hours.

When the meatballs are about 10 minutes from being done, set your oven to 350 and place french bread (cut into the sub sizes you desire) in the oven for about 5 minutes, just to give the bread a nice crisp. Remove and when meatballs are done, place the desired number of meatballs into the sub, pour a little extra red sauce from the crockpot over them, and then sprinkle the top with some shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan. With the subs open, place them back in the oven and bake or broil for another for 2-3minutes, or until they get to the level of melt and crispiness you like best, and then remove.

Serving

We ate them fresh out of the oven, as warm subs with the cheese all melted. If you aren't a big fan of subs, you could also put your meatballs and some red sauce over pasta. Or, these are also incredibly good by themselves. Lots of options!

Load of Crock Tip(s):

• 2 lbs. of ground beef makes 13 solid sized meatballs

• I prefer making them a larger size, as they can then be cut in half for easier laying on and eating of the sub

• To reduce a step and make this easy recipe even easier, skip making your own red sauce, and simply buy a couple of jars of your favorite brand, from the store

How does the saying go? The best things in life are worth waiting for? Or something close to that. And I can say, these meatballs were definitely worth the wait. And in whatever timeline works for you, enjoy! Happy meat-balling!