Lean Turkey (Ball) Subs!!

There are two ways to do these:

The SHM (Suzie homemaker way)
The Easy Way

I won't hate you for doing either!!


For these (I won't lie!) I did it The Easy way and used bagged Turkey Balls (why does that sound so dirty??) that were low in fat and calories - combined with a reduced salt jarred sauce, low-fat shredded cheese and whole grain rolls, these could be considered healthy (But I'm not a dietician and I have no idea the caloric count - but I assume its better than the regular beef meatballs).



For those who want to do it the SHM way, here is a GREAT meatball recipe I've used in the past and tastes fantastic! (this is posted at the bottom!).

Anyway, for these shown above, I opened the bag of frozen Turkey Balls and put them in a medium sauce pan with my yummy spicy tomato sauce, and simmered on low for about 2 hours - I really wanted the good flavors to get into the meatballs!

When the meatballs were about done, I preheated my oven to about 350, and got out my rolls - I usually get the rolls that ARE NOT PRECUT because I like to hollow them out like a log ship -

...This helps the meatballs not fall out, keeps the sauce in and the melty cheese I add in doesn't seep out!!

Then I put a bunch of shredded (or sliced if you wanted) cheese in the wells of the bread....

...and then the very hot meatballs on top!! Of course you add more cheese, then pop into the over for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese really good and crisp the bread a little!

 

I really wish I could show you the pictures of after they came out of the oven, but they got eaten too fast!! But I assure you, they were awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the recipe for home made meatballs (Lean version is after the " / " ):

1 pound ground beef  / 1 pound lean ground Turkey                                                                    

 

1/2 pound ground pork (I use spicy pork/sausage)  / 1/2 lb lean ground pork/sasuage                                        

                

2 cloves garlic, minced                                                    

2 eggs                                                                     

                     

1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese  / low-fat or light Romano                                             

                      

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

 

salt and ground black pepper to taste                                                    

 

2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled                                                     

                     

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water                                                    

 

1 cup olive oil

 

 

mix the beef and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.


1. Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. Its okay if you don't use all the water -
2. Shape into meatballs.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs about 10-15 at a time. When they are dark brown and a little crisp, take off heat and put on a paper towel.
• If they seem like they are too moist, or too loose (falling apart), cover when you cook them so it holds shape better.
4. Follow steps above for assembly and use low-fat or fat free mozzarella for the topping