In an Italian household, making homemade Meatball Boats is a rite of passage. I learned how to make my own from my mother-in-law. Because her recipe calls for a whole meat sauce, I make meatballs in my slow cooker when I’m in a hurry throughout the week. It’s not a quick supper, but it’s simple, with few ingredients, and the meatballs can feed a crowd if you make a lot of them, as I do.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ C breadcrumbs
- ¼ C Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. Minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 C marinara sauce
- 8 mini hoagie rolls
- 12 slices asiago cheese
How To Make Meatball Boats:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prep baking pan with nonstick spray.
- Add the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, parmesan, garlic, and parsley to a bowl.
- Using your hands work the ingredients together.
- Add salt and pepper.
- With the ice cream scoop start to form your meatballs.
- Set aside.
- Add the oil to the skillet heating it to medium.
- Add one meatball at a time to the heated skillet.
- Cook for about 5 minutes or until they are seared on all sides.
- Place the meatballs on a parchment-covered baking pan into the oven.
- Cook for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set to the side.
- Cut an oval on the top of the roll leaving about an ½ inch on the ends and sides.
- Scoop but do not cut through to the bottom half of the roll.
- Use a knife to hollow out the top of the roll.
- Place the roll on the baking pan.
- Lay 1 slice of cheese in the hollowed-out area.
- Return to the oven and cook for 8 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp. of marinara on top of the cheese.
- Place 3 meatballs on top of the cheese.
- Add more marinara on top of the meatballs.
- Place grated parmesan cheese on top of the marinara.
- Return to the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes.
- Enjoy!
