Elevate your comfort food experience with an irresistible twist on a classic – the **Bacon Meatball Sandwich**. This isn’t just any meatball sub; it’s a culinary masterpiece that marries the savory goodness of homemade meatballs with the delightful crunch of crispy bacon, all smothered in rich marinara and nestled in a perfectly toasted bun. Prepare for what might just be the best bacon for dinner recipe you’ll ever encounter, a true testament to the magic that happens when beloved flavors collide.
There’s something uniquely satisfying about comfort food, isn’t there? Those hearty, soul-warming dishes that transport you back to simpler times with every bite. If you’re anything like me, you live for that kind of deliciousness. That’s precisely why, during our recent “bacon month” culinary explorations, I felt compelled to infuse our cherished meatball sandwiches with an abundance of crispy, flavorful bacon. And oh, what a revelation it was! The combination, while perhaps unconventional at first glance, proved to be an absolute game-changer, delivering an explosion of flavors and textures that simply made our taste buds sing. We were so smitten, we doubled the batch of these colossal, juicy meatballs, ensuring not only a satisfying feast for our initial dinner but also ample incredible leftovers for the following night. There’s truly nothing better than enjoying a meal that’s just as good, if not better, the second time around. Pure yum!
Just imagine: a succulent, generously sized meatball, perfectly browned, draped in a vibrant, savory marinara sauce, and crowned with strips of perfectly cooked, smoky bacon. Each component plays its part in creating a symphony of taste and texture. One crucial tip for achieving sandwich perfection is to gently toast your bread. A quick rub of the bun’s cut sides in a hot skillet creates a subtle golden crispness that acts as a barrier, preventing the marinara from soaking in too quickly and making your sandwich a joy to eat without becoming soggy. As for the amount of luscious marinara and gooey melted cheese you add? That’s entirely up to your personal preference. But when faced with such deliciousness, I find it impossible not to load it up generously, embracing every rich, cheesy, bacon-infused bite.
Crafting the Perfect Bacon Meatball Sandwich
Creating a truly memorable Bacon Meatball Sandwich starts with attention to detail for each element. The meatballs themselves are the heart of the dish. Using high-quality grass-fed beef ensures a rich, robust flavor and a tender texture. When mixing your meatball ingredients – breadcrumbs, herbs, egg, milk, tomato paste, and seasonings – remember not to overmix. Overworking the meat can lead to tough meatballs, so combine gently until just incorporated. Forming them by hand allows you to control the size; we prefer them generously sized for a substantial sandwich experience. Browning the meatballs in olive oil before simmering them in marinara creates a beautiful crust and locks in those savory juices, contributing immense depth of flavor to the final sauce.
The bacon, our star player, deserves equal attention. While many methods exist, oven-cooked bacon consistently delivers perfectly crispy results with minimal fuss. Laying bacon strips on a baking sheet and cooking them until golden and crisp ensures an even cook and fantastic texture that holds up beautifully in the sandwich. This crispiness is essential, providing a delightful contrast to the soft meatballs and bread. The marinara sauce serves as the flavorful binder for our sandwich. Whether you choose a high-quality store-bought jar or opt for your favorite homemade recipe, the sauce should be rich, savory, and well-seasoned. Simmering the browned meatballs in the marinara for about an hour allows them to absorb all that wonderful flavor, making them incredibly tender and juicy.
The Foundation: Choosing and Toasting Your Bread
The bread selection is also key to a great meatball sandwich. Sturdy sub rolls or hoagie buns are ideal, as they can stand up to the hearty fillings without falling apart. The brief toasting step, achieved by lightly searing the cut sides in a hot, dry skillet, is a simple but incredibly effective technique. This creates a protective barrier that prevents the bread from becoming soggy too quickly, ensuring that each bite is a perfect balance of soft interior and slightly crisp exterior, complementing the saucy meatballs and crispy bacon beautifully. Finally, the cheese – a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan throughout the meatballs and perhaps some melted provolone or mozzarella directly on the sandwich adds a creamy, salty finish that ties all the components together.
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Bacon Meatball Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs grass fed beef – 90% lean or more
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese + more for topping
- 2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp minced onions
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup olive oil -to saute
- 1 jar Marinara sauce of choice
- 1 batch – perfect oven cooked bacon
- Toasted buns
Instructions
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While you prepare your meatballs, start cooking your bacon in the oven until it reaches your desired crispiness.
Meatballs
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In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Italian bread crumbs, finely chopped parsley, egg, milk, tomato paste, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, granulated garlic, minced onions, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until all ingredients are just combined; avoid overmixing to keep the meatballs tender.
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Roll the mixture by hand into uniformly sized meatballs and place them on a clean plate.
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
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Carefully place the meatballs in the hot skillet, ensuring not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side until browned, then gently roll them to cook another side. Continue this process until most of the meatball surface is nicely browned.
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If cooking in batches, transfer the browned meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
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Once all meatballs are browned, return them all to the skillet (if you cooked in batches). Pour your marinara sauce of choice over the meatballs, ensuring they are well-covered.
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Cover the skillet and simmer on low heat for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure even cooking. This allows the meatballs to become incredibly tender and absorb the rich flavors of the marinara.
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To assemble, place the tender, saucy meatballs onto your toasted buns. Top generously with the crispy oven-cooked bacon and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
More Bacon-Infused Delights from Fellow Bloggers
Explore an array of creative and delicious bacon-centric recipes from my fellow food bloggers who share a passion for all things bacon:
Bacon Meatball Sandwich
Heirloom Tomato BLT Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
Copycat Gordon Biersch House Chips
Maple Bacon Crack
Bacon Guacamole
Giant Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies
Maple Bacon Monkey Bread
Sweet & Salty Chocolate Bacon Bars
Looking for even more great bacon recipes? Discover these favorites!
Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread
Bacon Caramel Kettle Corn
BLT Dog
For more culinary inspiration, feel free to visit my latest features and links HERE.