Italian Turkey Meatball Sandwiches

We love meatball sandwiches. They're easy, delicious and messy. What could be more fun? I also love the idea of lightening up recipes to make them a bit more healthy, which is why I decided to make this dish a little leaner by using ground turkey instead of ground beef and fat free milk instead of whole milk. I know there's some butter and cheese involved here, but I did say a little more healthy. Some things are just better when left alone!


The convenience of using the garlic and basil from Dorot made preparing this dish even easier. I simply thawed those cute little cubes at room temperature for a few minutes and voila! No chopping needed and the taste was fantastic!

This recipe makes several meatballs. If you don't use the whole batch, they freeze beautifully for another time. My husband and I are recent empty-nesters, so I'm making much smaller meals these days. I used six of the meatballs for our two sandwiches and I divided and froze the rest into two 6-meatball batches for a couple of quick meals later on. I hope you enjoy these sandwiches if you make them, and don't forget to put extra napkins on the table!

Italian Turkey Meatball Sandwiches
by Susan W

Makes up to 6 sandwiches

Meatballs:
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
1 cube Dorot Crushed Garlic, thawed at room temperature for a few minutes
2 cubes Dorot Chopped Basil, thawed at room temperature for a few minutes
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup fat free milk

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
1 cube Dorot Crushed Garlic, thawed at room temperature for a few minutes
1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 cubes Dorot Chopped Basil, thawed at room temperature for a few minutes
1 1/2 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Additional Ingredients:
French rolls
Garlic/Parsley Butter (recipe below)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Gently mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl and roll into 18 meatballs. Place meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning each meatball over halfway through cooking time. While these are baking, make the sauce as follows:

In a small skillet heat olive oil over medium heat and saute the onions for a minute or two. Add the thawed Dorot Crushed Garlic cube and saute another 30 seconds. Transfer the onions and garlic to a medium saucepan and then add tomato sauce, tomato paste, thawed Dorot Chopped Basil, dried parsley, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well. Start to warm on medium heat.

When the meatballs are done, add them directly into the sauce. Heat through and keep warm while you prepare the rolls as follows:

Split the desired number of rolls, but don't cut all the way through. Spread Garlic/Parsley butter on both sides of each roll. Broil on a baking sheet, about 6 inches from the flame, until golden brown (watch them very closely so they don't burn.)

Place three meatballs on each sandwich and spoon a little more sauce over the top. Top with cheeses and crushed red pepper.

Garlic/Parsley Butter

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 cubes Dorot Crushed Garlic (no need to thaw these!)
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt if you're using unsalted butter. Omit if you're using salted butter.

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until blended well. Keeps well and is great for making garlic bread!