Raise your hand if sandwiches take you to your happy place… we thought so. If you want a one-way ticket to handheld bliss, look no further than these piping-hot melts on ciabatta. They’re filled with pork meatballs, a hearty tomato sauce, and a good handful mozzarella—in other words, everything you need to rival the best sub shops. And just in case you’re still craving more, there’s sautéed zucchini for the veg.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
½ unit
Yellow Onion
2 clove
Garlic
10 ounce
Ground Pork
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
6.88 ounce
Crushed Tomatoes
1 unit
Lemon
1 unit
Zucchini
2 unit
Ciabatta Bread
(Contains Soy, Wheat)
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains Milk)
5 teaspoon
Olive Oil
½ teaspoon
Sugar
½ tablespoon
Butter
(Contains Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Wash and dry all produce. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and sprinkle with a drizzle of olive oil. Halve and peel onion; finely chop one half (save the other for another use). Mince garlic.
In a medium bowl, mix together pork, panko, 2 TBSP onion, half the garlic, half the Tuscan heat spice, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Divide into 8 pieces and shape each into a meatball. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in oven until cooked through, 18-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add remaining onion and cook until starting to soften, 3 minutes. Toss in remaining garlic and Tuscan heat spice and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
Stir half the tomatoes from container (save the rest for another use), ½ tsp sugar, and a large pinch of salt and pepper into pan. Bring to a simmer and let bubble until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, zest ½ tsp zest from lemon, then halve and squeeze 2 tsp juice into a small bowl. Halve zucchini lengthwise, then slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons. Remove pan from heat once sauce thickens and stir in ½ TBSP butter.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved lemon juice and zest. Set aside off heat. Remove baked meatballs from sheet. Heat broiler to high. Halve meatballs. Split ciabattas in half and sprinkle cut sides with a drizzle of olive oil each. Place bottoms cut-side up on same sheet.
Spread a little sauce on each ciabatta bottom. Arrange meatballs on top (serve any extras on the side if they don’t all fit). Spoon over remaining sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with remaining ciabatta halves and place under broiler. Broil until mozzarella melts, 2-3 minutes. Divide between plates and serve with zucchini.