I checked it out and yes indeed, Cheap Bastid has written both about meatballs and grinders. But…not about “meatball grinders”. So that’s what I’m going to write about today– Meatballs and Meatball Grinders. Besides, I took some really good pictures of “most” of the process.
Two of our favorite things are meatballs and “Grinders” or “French bread pizzas”. And that would probably put Meatball Grinders right at the top wouldn’t it? Yeah, if I want to get a huge smile out of Mrs. CB all I have to do is suggest Meatball Grinders. It’s the kind of smile I used to get for suggesting…nevermind this is a “family” blog.
So anyway, meatballs are pretty easy to make but then again you really want to do more than just make hamburger golf balls. And Meatball Grinders are even easier. But let’s mainly talk about Meatballs here, OK.
And think about it, you can make a double batch of meatballs and freeze one batch. You can even make the Meatball Grinders up ahead and freeze them—them can be partially baked and then either re-baked or microwaved (miking’s not the best but it’ll do). What I’m saying is that this can be a school night dinner or a gameday lunch or snack—whatever.
Recipe: Meatballs and Meatball Grinders
Summary: Meatballs are Mrs. CB’s favorite–in spaghetti and especially in “Grinders” or “French Bread Pizza”. Here’s the simple, quick and tasty recipe for both.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 85% lean ground beef
- ¼ cup diced onion
- ½ jalapeno diced
- 1 egg
- ½ cup fine bread or cracker crumbs (optional)
- Salt
- Fennel seed
- Garlic
- Crushed Red Pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp canola oil for cooking
- For Grinders:
- 4 6” French Bread rolls
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- Shredded mozzarella or mozzarella/cheddar cheese blend
- Basil or Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Get out a bowl, skillet, cutting board and chef’s knife.
- Put ground beef in bowl.
- Dice onion and jalapeno and put in bowl.
- Add salt, fennel seed, garlic and red pepper flakes. How much? Enough to taste it. Then taste it. Go a bit light, you can always add more but once you put it in, you can’t take it out.
- Add the egg.
- Mix the whole mess with your fingertips. Push into the mess and roll over, gently, until everything is blended.
- Divide meat into 16 clumps of equal size. Then gently roll each into a ball.
- Put skillet on stove on medium high heat and pour in 3 tbsp. canola oil (just enough to make a skim of oil in the bottom).
- Add meatballs and brown them on all sides. (You want them medium!)
- Remove from heat put on a plate with a paper towel to drain and cool.
- Now, you can put them in a freezer bag and freeze them. You can leave them in the pan and pour spaghetti sauce over them to finish cooking and serve. Or you can do what I’m going to do and make Meatball Grinders.
- For Grinders: Turn oven to 425.
- Cut rolls in half lengthwise and put on a cookie sheet. Put a dollop of oil on the cut side of each roll and spread it out with a brush, the back of a spoon or your fingertips.
- Pop the sheet into the oven as it heats so the half-rolls just barely start to toast—about 5 minutes worth.
- While the rolls are in the oven, cut each meatball in half.
- When the rolls come out of their brief toasting, use a kitchen table spoon to glop 1 or 2 spoonsful on each half roll and spread it out to the edges.
- Put 4 half meatballs on each roll. Give each a sprinkle of the basil or Italian Seasoning.
- Sprinkle the top liberally with the shredded cheese.
- Pop into the oven for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
Oh man, this makes a good dinner any night of the week. If you want to make it a whole meal just add a small tossed salad. The Meatball Grinders are tasty with the meat and cheese marrying together to give your tastebuds a treat.
When you’re trying to be more frugal, one of the things you end up doing is a bit more actual cooking and prep. But that’s how you save money. Why anyone would want to buy a big old bag of tasteless, pre-made frozen meatballs for about $5 a pound is beyond me. It just takes a bit of planning and creativity and you’ll be giving yourself and your family something different and homemade.
The Cheap Bastid Test: The hamburger costs anywhere from $1.99 to $2.99 a pound depending on where you buy and if you’re shopping for specials. Let’s compromise and call it $2.50. The onion and jalapeno cost is about $.25 (at most). I buy my French rolls at the dollar store—5 for a buck. The cheese is the expensive part, but I buy it in a 5 lb bag at Costco for $10—about half what I would spend at the grocery store buying it a 2 cup bag at a time. So I use about $1 worth of cheese. Total for Meatball Grinders for 4: $4.75 or $1.20 per person ($.60 per Meatball Grinder). If you got these at a pizza joint figure 2 per person would set you back about $8 each. That’s a bargain!
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
