Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients for one sandwich

• 2 slices of Italian bread
• butter
• 2 meatballs, sliced (use recipe below)
• 1 slice of Land O Lakes 4 Cheese Italian Blend deli cheese

Directions

1. Heat grill pan or skillet on medium-low heat
2. Spread 2 slices of bread with butter.
3. Place one slice of bread (butter side down) in the pan.
4. Top with sliced meatballs, cheese, and bread (butter side up).
5. Lightly brown sandwich on both sides. If the cheese isn’t melted, place on a sheet pan in 350°F oven for several minutes until melted.  Watch carefully, so the buttered bread doesn’t burn.

Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup onion, diced
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (28 oz. cans) ground peeled tomatoes
• 12 oz. can tomato paste
• 2¾ cups water
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon black ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Meatballs

• 1½ lbs. ground beef (85% lean)
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together.
3. Use ¼ cup of the meatball mixture to form a round meatball.  Place all of the meatballs on a sheet pan.  Bake for 25 minutes.
4. While the meatballs are cooking, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and stir occasionally until translucent.  Add the garlic and stir for one minute.
5. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the ground tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano, ground pepper, sugar, and pepper flakes.  Stir well until smooth.
6. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 1½ hours.  Stir occasionally and lower the heat slightly if the sauce sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Freeze

Be sure to cool the sauce and meatballs (in labeled containers) in the refrigerator before you freeze them.  They freeze well for 3 months and can be defrosted easily in the microwave.