This Hearty Meatball Sub appeared first on the EatPluck site. As James Barry notes, “We recommend using any of the Pluck products with this recipe: Spicy, All-Purpose, Pure or Zesty Garlic.” And I agree! In the meantime, heart is a muscle meat disguised as an organ, meaning it’s easy to love. Plus, it’s packed with powerhouse antioxidant Coenzyme Q10, so eat up and enjoy!
For the heart
Some farmers sell heart by the pound. Others sell it whole. If you have a sliver of the whole heart (in a 1lb package, or similar), it may well be trimmed and you can prepare evenly sized cubes and pulse it in your blender to prepare your ground.
On the other hand, if you have a whole heart, it could be close to 3 lbs! Alternately, find another heart recipe for your remaining heart this week. Or, considering using heart exclusively and omitting the other meats for the meatballs.
To prepare a whole heart, stand it up on the heart-shaped bottom end and slice down the side. Once it’s open, trim any connective tissue off the inside of the top of the heart (reserving the thick fat on the outer side of the top of the heart). Next, trim all the tubes and silverskin from the inside of the heart. Now it’s ready for any preparation.
To blend the heart, cut into large, evenly sized cubes and pulse in a food processor until it resembles ground beef. (Here’s another idea for your ground heart.)
Another reason to love heart
Beef heart has 10mg Coenzyme Q10 per 100g – the highest food source available. CoQ10 is a fat-soluble nutrient that is stored in the mitochondria – creating energy and acting as an antioxidant, repairing cell damage. The body can make this nutrient on its own, but the ability tends to decline with age. It has been shown to have heart, brain and reproductive health benefits. Yes, please!
Hearty Meatball Sub
The idea for this sandwich came from ‘Clarice’s Meatballs’ in the Tartine cookbook. My mom spells her name the same way, so I remembered the idea for the recipe long after I had returned the cookbook to the library. That said, while this recipe was inspired by that book, it likely doesn’t resemble it well in detail. The gist is homemade bread, homemade marinara and pesto, and all of it baked together with the meatballs covered in cheese.
Over time, I’ve pared down our own favorite meatball recipe (originally from Cooks Illustrated). And, of course, made the marinara and pesto the way we like. Do the same and make it work for your family! As always, the meatballs are the main gig here; the sandwich is optional. Enjoy – it’s a satisfying meal!
Hearty Meatball Sub
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1lb heart, ground
- 1lb ground beef
- 1lb ground pork
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 head parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 t powdered gelatin, dissolved in 3T water
- 3 t salt
- 1/2 t pepper
For the marinara
- 4 T lard or butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 t red pepper flakes
- 1 t oregano
- stem or two of fresh thyme, if handy
- 1 1/2 t salt
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
For the pesto
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
- 3 T olive oil
- 2 T freshly-grated parmesan
- 1 t lemon juice
- 1/4 t salt
For the sandwiches
- Loaf of rustic sourdough bread
- 8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F and prepare two lined baking sheets with wire racks. For the meatballs, mix all ingredients in bowl and combine well with your hands. Form into 2-inch round meatballs. Place meatballs on the wire racks and bake for 40 minutes, and rotating trays while switching top and bottom trays halfway through baking. After baking, reduce oven temperature to 350F.
- While the meatballs are roasting, prepare sauces. For the marinara, add lard to a pan on medium heat. When shimmering, add onion and cook 6 minutes. Add garlic, pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and salt. Cook for another minute until it's fragrant, than add tomatoes and mix well. Increase heat and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low for another 15-20 minutes to thicken a bit. For the pesto, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a paste. Cover and refrigerate if not using shortly.
- Confirm that the oven temperature is 350F. Slice your bread lengthwise and place over a large sheet of foil (so sandwiches can be wrapped). Cover the bottom piece of bread with a thick layer of marinara and meatballs. Cover with provolone. Spread a thick layer of pesto on the bottom side of the upper bread and place on top of provolone to cover sandwich. Wrap loosely in foil and bake until the cheese has completely melted and the bread is warm and toasted, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
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