My husband and I only grew up about 90 miles from each other, but sometimes I think we grew up worlds apart. For example, that thing that you use to clean your floors? He calls it a sweeper. I call it a vacuum. When I go grocery shopping, I use a shopping cart, he uses a buggy. And when I make a sandwich on a thick, crusty roll, I call it a sub, while he calls it a hoagie.
Nevertheless, no matter what you call them, these sandwiches are the bomb.com. (Is that even cool anymore to say?) The key is to make your own sub rolls out of pizza dough. Sure, you can use store-bought rolls, but nothing beats the smell of fresh bread in the oven. Toast those suckers up, and top them with meatballs, sauce, cheese and pepperoni and you’ll go nuts over these subs, err hoagies.
If you want to save yourself some time and effort, go ahead and use frozen meatballs. I won’t tell anyone.
Meatball Pepperoni Hoagies
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce – homemade or store bought
- 1/2 cup water (optional)
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 16 slices pepperoni
- 4 hot dog or hoagie rolls (or make your own with pizza dough)
Directions:
If you are making your own hoagie rolls, take pizza dough and divide into 4 pieces. Shape into logs, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to raise for 1 hour. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until browned. Set aside.
To make the meatballs, heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Combine the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and ground beef together in a large bowl. Form into small meatballs and place into hot pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side until browned. Reduce heat and stir in pizza sauce with the meatballs. Add 1/2 cup of water if necessary, to thin the sauce. Cover to keep warm until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
To make the sandwiches, preheat your broiler to high. Slice the hoagie rolls, spread with butter and place under the broiler until lightly toasted. Top with 4 meatballs, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices. Place under the broiler for another minute until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
