“The key to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources”.
_Albert Einstein

About 15 minutes before dinner Saturday night D said, “I know what I want to eat tonight.”

“Okay. What?”

“Spaghetti and meat balls.”

Now you might think “not gonna happen.”

But the truth is this favorite is very doable in 30 minutes. And it has the side benefit of some scrumptious Meat Ball Subs made from the leftovers.

That’s fast food worth it’s salt.

Here’s what you’ll need:

 

Meat Balls

3/4 pound lean ground beef
6 saltine crackers (crushed fine)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons dry red wine

Mix everything together and form into ten equal meat balls

Brown in good Extra Virgin Olive Oil until they are cooked through.

Deglaze the pan with about 1/2 a jar of good marinara sauce and 2 or 3 tablespoons of dry red wine.

Serve over al dente spaghetti with crusty bread and a green salad.

Cooking for two, means we ate four of these yummy meatballs Saturday for dinner.  But it also means we have six of ’em left for Meat Ball Sub Sandwiches.

Meat Ball Subs

6 left-over meat balls (you can use them the next day or freeze them for much later)
1/2 jar good marinara sauce
2 or 3 tablespoons dry red wine
3 or 4 thin slices of Mozzarella Cheese
2 good sandwich rolls (buy the best bread you can find for these)

Reheat the meatballs in sauce thinned with a touch of red wine.
Lightly butter the rolls and toast in a hot fry pan.

Slice the meatballs and layer them on the sandwiches with the cheese slices.  The heat of the meat should melt the cheese. If it doesn’t I stick the sandwiches (open-faced) under the broiler for a couple minutes.

With a small salad or a handful of chips, this is a meal for a busy day.