Lean Meatball Sub

I'm reluctant to call this a "healthy" meatball sub -- instead opting for the title "lean".  But this is probably the healthiest meatball sub I've ever had.  I used ground turkey, a whole wheat bun, added no salt, and baked them off in the oven instead of pan-frying them.  So that's about as healthy as you can get.

I like to start by mixing your wet ingredients in a large bowl.  Add one egg, 2 tbsp milk, a few dashed of Worcestershire sauce, and 2 cloves minced garlic.  Most recipes will just have you add everything together at the same time.  But when you're incorporating an egg into any mixture, I like to completely whisk it together with the other wet ingredients first.  Otherwise, how can you be sure it is evenly distributed?  (That's just my opinion, though.)

Next, add your dry ingredients:  1/2 onion (diced), 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs (I like to use Italian flavored, wheat bread crumbs), 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, and a fair amount of parsley.  I did NOT add salt here.  I have in the past, and the meatballs have ended up really salty.  You will pick up salt from the cheese, and later in the sauce.  So I don't think it's totally necessary.  Gently mix this all together to incorporate.

Now comes the messy (or fun) part, depending on your viewpoint.  Add 1.5 lbs of ground turkey.  Roll up your sleeves, and dive in!  You will need to mix everything together by hand.  That's really the only way to do it.  Then form evenly sized balls, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  In the past I have pan-fried the meatballs in a little oil.  But I saw a restaurant owner baking off his meatballs like this on an episode of D, D, & D -- so I decided to give that a shot.  I am calling these "lean" after all.

A lot of the fat will be rendered out of your meatballs during the cooking process.  Obviously these aren't going to be as rich as meatballs made from veal & pork, but I promise that the end product is still very delicious   And I think the quote "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." is apt for this dish.

Heat up some marinara sauce and coat the meatballs.  Then slice into a fresh bun (but not all the way through) and add your meatballs to the center.  I made these kind of large so the sandwich would feel really hearty.

 Then top the subs with some shredded cheese and melt everything under the broiler.  When all is said and done, you're going to have a really delicious sub to dig into.  I promise you with all the sauce, cheese, onions, and seasonings, you will for sure like this sandwich.  And it is by no means lacking in flavor or satisfaction.