Sandwich with 'nduja meatballs in tomato sauce
Americans didn't exactly invent haute cuisine, but they definitely have a few hits in their repertoire. This American sandwich with meatballs in tomato sauce is one of them. We make it even tastier by topping it with homemade 'nduja meatballs.
Nduja is a spreadable spicy sausage that originates from the Italian province of Calabria. You can buy it fresh there, but here in the Netherlands, we mostly see it in jars, as a kind of pesto or tapenade. The sausage is made from ground pork, fat, salt, and sun-ripened red peppers from Calabria. That combination makes it a delicious condiment.
For this recipe, we season the ground meat mixture with 'nduja for a nice spicy edge. This sandwich is the ultimate comfort food. A light bun, juicy meatballs, sweet tomato sauce, and melted cheese: what more could you want?
Sandwich with 'nduja meatballs in tomato sauce
- Chop the onion and grate the garlic.
- Fry in a pan with olive oil over low heat until they start to brown.
- Add the canned tomatoes and mash them in the pan into small pieces. Add the sugar and a teaspoon of salt and let simmer over low heat.
- Meanwhile, mix the minced meat with the 'nduja, parsley, panko, egg, Parmesan cheese, and some salt until it forms a homogeneous mass.
- Roll the minced meat into golf ball-sized balls and place them in the tomato sauce.
- Simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes with the lid on the pan until cooked through.
- Cut the bun open and spoon a few meatballs inside.
- Scatter some basil leaves over the roll and place some slices of mozzarella on top.
- Slide the bun under a hot grill until the cheese melts.
