Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Our Christmas Eve dinner always consisted of sloppy joe sandwiches which was a tradition at Grandma Dorothy's house. I still keep that tradition alive but a few years ago I decided to buck tradition and add a new item - mini meatball sandwiches. They have been a hit ever since. You can make them ahead and freeze or make them fresh and even though I typically only make them for Christmas Eve, they are great any time of the year. The bread can even be skipped and you now how meatballs for in spaghetti.

Meatballs

1 egg

1/2 # ground pork

1/2 # ground beef

1/4 c. fresh parsley

1/2 c. bread crumbs

1/4 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 c. provolone cheese, shredded

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t. fresh oregano

1/2 t. fresh thyme

Salt

Ground pepper

Pepperidge Farm very thin sliced bread

Butter

Pizza or marinara sauce

Mix all ingredients above by hand except for bread and butter. Roll meatball mix into 1 to 1 1/2 inch diameter balls.

Cut off crust of bread slices and butter the inside of the bread. Sandwich four uncooked meatballs in between the buttered bread leaving just a bit of space between them. Press the sandwich down slightly which will help keep the meatball in place. Cut the bread into quarters so that each meatball is it's own sandwich. (my picture only shows three of the quarters)

Place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take them out when the bread is a golden color as shown in the picture. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce.

Notes:

If you don't have fresh items listed above you can substitute dried.

Instead of cooking same day you can freeze ahead 1-2 weeks. There is no need to thaw them before baking but you may need to leave them in the oven a little longer.