Description
Taking full advantage of the full abundance of summer produce with this zucchini and tomato sauce meatball sandwich is a fine way to bid those warmer days adieu with a quick meatball sandwich you’ll be happy to eat a full serving of.
Ingredients
Meatballs
400 grams / 14 ounces minced beef
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce (see note)
Sandwich
1 medium focaccia loaf (or this recipe halved)
1 medium zucchini,
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
40 grams / 2 3/4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
40 grams Gloucester or Provolone cheese, sliced
30 grams buffalo mozzarella, sliced thickly
Instructions
- Place the minced beef, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, 1 egg and finely chopped garlic in a bowl and combine until well mixed.
- Roll into 8 equally sized meatballs and set aside.
- Preheat the grill to 220C/430F.
- Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan on medium high with a teaspoon of olive oil.
- Thinly slice the zucchini into quarters and then each quarter into thirds and place into the frying pan and add 1 portion of the finely chopped garlic therein.
- Cook until browned, but still firm, approximately 2 minutes either side.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Slice your focaccia in half and lay the zucchini on the top half, topping with the sliced gloucester cheese.
- Place the butter into a small ramekin and melt for 25 seconds in the microwave. Add the wholegrain mustard and remaining finely chopped garlic, stirring to combine evenly.
- Brush the garlic butter over the bottom half of your sandwich.
- Place under the grill for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the base is golden. Remove and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add a little more olive oil into the frying pan and sprinkle the salt evenly over all the meatballs before placing into the frying pan.
- Cook evenly on medium high heat for 3 minutes each side until it is cooked in the center.
- Add the tomato sauce and continue cooking for a further minute until well heated.
- Remove from the heat and carefully spoon the meatballs onto the base of your sandwich, spooning over a little tomato sauce and then topping with a slice of buffalo mozzarella.
- Return to the oven for 2 minutes to melt.
- Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
If you want to homemake your tomato sauce, place 1 can (400 grams/14 ounce) of tomatoes, 1 clove of finely chopped garlic, fresh herbs of your choice (rosemary goes particularly well with this), a pinch of sugar, a teaspoon of salt and a little olive oil in a saucepan and heat, simmering for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to allow the flavors to fully infuse.
Recipe by Roamingtaste
Nutrition
- Calories: 722 calories per sandwich