Hidden Veg Baked Meatball Subs (Sandwiches)

Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	1 hour, 10 minutes
Cook time	35 minutes
Total time	1 hour, 45 minutes
Allergy	Egg
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party, Halloween
Region	American
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A fabulous way to make the most of British organic minced beef, this recipe is in the style of an American "Meatball Sub Sandwich" and is loved by children and adults alike. The meatballs hide a healthy secret with added grated courgettes as well as onions that add to your "five-a-day" requirements. (The uncooked meatballs can be frozen for ease of cooking in the future, as can the cooked meatballs too.)

Ingredients

Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese, grated (to serve)
4 to 6 ciabatta bread rolls (lightly toasted)
Rapeseed or olive oil

Meatballs

2 large courgettes, coarsely grated
sea salt
500g minced beef
2 onions, peeled and very finely diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 large free-range egg
2 slices wholemeal bread, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried orgeno
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried chilli powder

Note

Directions

Step 1	15 minutes before cooking, pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Lightly grease an oven-proof dish with the oil.
Step 2	Make the sauce by putting all the ingredients into a bowl and mixing well - adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and set to one side.
Step 3	Put the grated courgettes into a sieve and sit over a plate or a bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons of sea salt and mix. Place a plate or bowl on top and weigh it down with a heavy weight or a large tin. Leave for 30 minutes.
Step 4	Pour the courgette juice away and rinse the grated courgettes well under running water to get rod of the salt. Drain and squeeze any remaining liquid out of them, a good way to to do this is to pop them into a clean tea towel and squeeze them over the sink.
Step 5	Place the grated courgettes into a bowl and add the rest of the meatball ingredients - mix well with your hands and allow to chill for 15 to 30 minutes to firm up before shaping.
Step 6	When you are ready to shape the meatballs, wet your hands as this helps when shaping and take a walnut sized piece of meatball mix and shape into a ball. Place the meatballs into the oven-proof dish and continue to shape the meatballs until the mixture is all used up, arranging the balls so they don't touch each other in the dish.
Step 7	Bake for about 15 minutes until they have taken on some colour and then move them around, bake for a further 5 minutes before pouring the sauce over them, bake for another 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the meatballs are golden brown and cooked.
Step 8	Scatter some grated Grana Padano cheese over the top of the meatball bake and allow to melt.
Step 9	Assemble the "subs" by putting 3 to 4 meatballs (per person) on half of the toasted bread buns, top with sauce and some extra grated cheese, and serve with salad and pasta salad.