Daily Favorites: Meatball Hoagie

Sometimes it's right in front of your face and you still can't see it. 

The Trader Joe's turkey meatballs are one of the best options for tasty but super filling and low-calorie. I've made them as their own meal before. 

I've even made them a few months back in the style of my quick chicken parm. 

And a few weeks ago, I showed how I could make delicious hoagies for 600 calories.

I've even made this exact dish in 2010 and documented it here. 

But it wasn't until Niraj pointed out a meatball sub could fit this series, that I pieced it altogether. 

So here we are. 

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This series is putting a point on what I mean when I say that I like to cook. What I like is preparing delicious food so I can eat it. I like doing that at every meal. What I don't like is recipes that require buying 10-20 ingredients just for one dish or things that take an hour to make. I want to have good food twice a day and move on to other things, not spend all my day in the kitchen. Most meals aren't special occasions. 

Today, I was even lazier than I was in 2010. Nothing in this dish is from scratch. Fine by me. 

Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs: 200 cals

Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce: 70 cals

Sargento Provolone: 140 for 2 slices

Hoagie roll: 210 cals

Meatball Hoagie with 4 big meatballs and two slices of provolone for 620 cals. I was prepared to only use one slice of cheese but it was only 70 a slice. 

I plussed up the sauce with herbs and seasoning and also gave some garlic+ to the meatballs. Tossed them in a bowl to coat the meatballs before assembling and broiling on low for about 5 minutes, until the cheese starting browning.

The hot cherry peppers were a last second addition, but were a great flavor booster. I can't get enough of these and they're only 5 calories a serving.

Only change I would make for next time: I would cut the meatballs in half, then toss in sauce, then assemble. That way there would be some sauce in the middle, just to make sure no bites are on the dry side.

Thanks Niraj!