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Long summer nights sometimes lead to difficult summer mornings. When you’re feeling a bit worse for wear, there are times that only a meatball sub will set you right again. It’s not a typical breakfast food, but when you’ve been been run ragged, there are no rules for straightening yourself out.
The hearty meatballs, the savory marinara, the sweetly caramelized peppers and onions and the ooey-gooey mozarella cheese nestled in a toasty sub roll harmonize in a symphony of satisfaction. It fills your belly and sets you right for whatever you need to do that day. But how can one accomplish such as meaty, cheesy sandwich on a vegan diet you may ask? Well the secret is to keep a few ingredients on-hand at all times, and you’ll always be 15 minutes away from this slice of heaven on a sandwich roll. I know that’s kind of cheating, but this is meant to be a quick fill-up kind of recipe. For this recipe, the only thing made from scratch is the Quick Blitz Marinara, and the sautéed peppers and onions. Everything else is pre-made and then assembled before toasting in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
The real stars of this sandwich are the “meatballs” and the “mozzarella.” For this sandwich, I had some frozen seitan “Chicken” chunks on hand, which were inspired by the Edgy Veg’s Vegan Chicken Recipe (not battered and fried, just boiled in round chunks and then frozen in batches of 6-8 chunks). The other item I had handy was some frozen vegan Mozzarella Aquafaba Cheese from Avocados and Ales. Whenever I make this cheese, I always quadruple the recipe and then pour the cheese in little 8-oz mason jars and put them in the freezer. Then, whenever I’m making a pizza or a sandwich, I can defrost it one container at a time, and it’s is usually enough for 2-4 servings, I think.
I highly recommend that you keep your own stores of mock-meats and cheeses on hand, whether homemade or store bought. Gardein and Yves both make pretty good frozen vegan meatballs, and my favorite store-bought vegan cheese is Miyoko’s Kitchen Fresh Vegan Mozarella, if you can find it in your local health food store or order it online, or if your shopping in a more conventional grocery store, I prefer the Field Roast Chao Slices or Follow Your Heart brands, when they’re on sale. Sorry, I hate Daiya. I know many vegans love it, but I find that it tastes waxy.
If you’d like me to do a tutorial on how I make my seitan “Chicken” or how I batch-prep my Mozarella, let me know in the comments. I’d be happy to show you my take on these recipes. These two are staples in my household, and whenever I take the time to make them, I make a huge batch to freeze.
For more quick recipes that can be whipped up really quickly, check out my Shredded Barbecue Mushroom Tacos, or my Easy Weeknight Ethiopian Feast. Or for make-ahead freezable recipes, check out my Les Petites Quiches Florentines, or my Hickory Smoked Deli-Slices.
Melty Mozarella Meatball Sub
Ingredients
- 6-8 frozen meat-free meatballs
- 2-4 slices of vegan mozarella cheese
- 1 sub roll or crusty italian bread roll
- 1 bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
QUCK BLITZ MARINARA
- 1 15- oz can of diced tomatos
- 1/2 onion chopped roughly
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp of red chili flakes
- a sprig of fresh basil or to taste
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Defrost the meatballs by placing the sealed bag of meatballs in a bowl of warm tap water. Be careful not to allow water into the bag.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the bell pepper and half of the onion, and then water-sautee over medium-high heat. Start with a tablespoon or so of water, and stir in the sliced veggies. Allow them to cook for a few minutes, then deglaze the pan with another tablespoon or two of water while stirring. Be careful to deglaze whenever the pan gets dry, or you will burn the veggies. Repeat until they begin to caramelize (about 10 minutes).
- Meanwhile, Make the Quick Blitz Marinara: In your blender jar, add the tomatoes first, then the other half of the onion, the garlic, the chili flakes, and the fresh basil.
- Pulse for 20-30 seconds, until well combined and the desired texture is achieved.
- Pour the mixture into a saucepan on medium-low heat and add the meatballs. Simmer until the sauce is heated through meatballs are warm inside. About 10 minutes.
- While that simmers, cut a wedge out of the top of both of your sub rolls or italian bread loafs. If the bread is pre-sliced, you can skip this step and just open the bread and place it on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Toast the rolls for about 2 minutes in the oven and then take it out.
- Assemble your sandwiches. On each of your toasted rolls, add a layer of peppers and onions, then 3-4 of your simmered meatballs, spoon over a little marinara sauce, and then top with 1 or 2 slices of mozarella cheese. Put your sandwiches back in the oven for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt. You can broil it for the last minute to toast the cheese to a golden-brown, if desired.