Greek Turkey Meatball Sandwich Recipe

Feel sorry for my family...very sorry. After celebrating my fortieth birthday nearly two weeks ago and being treated to a wonderful surprise party by my husband and friends, I am now sinking into the post-holiday blues, which means that a grumpy little troll (that would be me) will be wandering aimlessly around the house for several days. These are the kind of blues that makes a girl want to stuff juicy turkey meatballs into hoagie rolls and eat to her heart's content. Seems like a logical panacea. Well, that and a case of Heath bars. The January doldrums actually started last week, but then were quickly swept aside by another surprise my family had in store for me.

At about 10 pm on Thursday night, I was tucked into bed, engrossed in my book when the doorbell rang. At that time of night, a visitor at the front door is never a good thing. I crept downstairs, baffled as to why my husband had not investigated the disturbance, and cautiously peeked through the front window. At the sight of my face plastered to the glass, the people on the front porch broke into an enthusiastic version of Happy Birthday. My parents had flown from Canada, in cahoots with my husband and kids, to surprise me. It doesn't get much better than that. After a weekend of wonderful dinners, fun activities with the kids, and treasured quiet moments in each other's company, my parents have headed home and we are back to our regular pre-holiday routine. While there is comfort in regular life, it will take me several days to bounce back to form...and a few bottles of Tums to deal with that case of Heath bars.

In keeping with healthy eating goals, I wanted to make an easy weeknight meal that would be at home in my post, New Year's Recipes for Good Health. Ground turkey is mixed with Greek-inspired flavors of roasted red bell peppers (try roasting your own), oregano, and myzithra (or feta) cheese. While regular hoagie rolls would work well, I was inspired to try the whole-wheat rolls found in Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg's books, Healthy Breads in Five Minutes a Day. This is a book well worth adding to your collection. I have made several recipes from it, and the bread consistently turns out tender and flavorful. Plus, the recipes seem to be foolproof, a bonus for a bread-making novice like me.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, roasted red bell peppers, grated onion, garlic, parsley, dried oregano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.

Mix well to combine. Using a rounded 2 tablespoon portion of the turkey mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In a large saucepan, heat your favorite marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add meatball and stir to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Place hoagie rolls on large baking sheet, divide the meatballs and sauce evenly on the bottom halves of the rolls and top each with 1 tablespoon myzithra (or feta) cheese. Broil for about 1 minute, or until the buns are slightly toasted. Serve.

Other meatball sandwich recipes:

The Pioneer Woman's Mini Meatball Sandwiches
Pardon My Crumbs' Perfect Meatball Sandwich
Hungry Bruno's Turkey Meatball Banh Mi Sandwich

Greek Turkey Meatball Sandwiches

1 ¼ lb. ground turkey meat (preferably not extra-lean)
1 roasted red bell pepper, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
½ medium yellow onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups marinara sauce (your favorite kind)
6 hoagie rolls, preferably whole-wheat
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon crumbled myzithra or feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, roasted red peppers, grated onion, garlic, parsley, dried oregano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.

Mix well to combine. Using a rounded 2 tablespoon portion of the turkey mixture, form meatballs by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.

Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In a large saucepan, heat your favorite marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add meatball and stir to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Place hoagie rolls on large baking sheet, divide the meatballs and sauce evenly on the bottom halves of the rolls and top each with 1 tablespoon myzithra (or feta) cheese. Broil for about 1 minute, or until the buns are slightly toasted. Serve.

Serves 6.

Printable recipe