Fried meatball sandwiches

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 0.9 kg ground beef
• 1 cup of regular breadcrumbs
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 cans of 800 gr. purchased marinara sauce

Sandwiches

• 8 long sub sandwich buns
• 110 g salted butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil
• 0.5 tbsp. grated parmesan

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 230°C.
2. Meatballs:
   
   In a bowl, combine ground beef and breadcrumbs. Add milk, onion, parsley, salt, black pepper, garlic, and egg. Stir to distribute evenly.
   
   Scoop 2 tablespoons of the ground meat and form it into a meatball. Continue forming the remaining ground meatballs until you have about 40 in total. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer in a large rectangular baking dish or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, until the meatballs are cooked through, about 25 minutes.
3. Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and continue baking until the sauce is heated through, about 10 more minutes. Toss the meatballs to coat them with the sauce and set aside.
4. Buns:
   
   Reduce oven temperature to 190°C.
   
   In a small bowl, combine the butter and garlic. Tear off the tops of the buns to create meatball boats. Transfer the buns and torn pieces to a baking sheet and brush generously with garlic butter. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
5. Assemble meatball sub sandwiches:
   
   Place 5 meatballs on each bun. Drizzle with sauce. Top with some onion and sprinkle with basil and Parmesan. Serve with extra sauce and toasted bread.
6. Warm-up:
   
   Reheat meatballs in a baking dish, covered, at 350°F (175°C) until heated through, about 25 minutes.