Name: Ciabatta Meatball Hero
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: ciabatta; olive oil; leftover meatballs and tomato sauce; parmesan cheese; mozzarella cheese; salt; freshly ground black pepper; lettuce leaves - I used baby gem

Jump to Recipe

This incredible meatball and cheese sandwich hails from New York – apparently the ‘hero’ name was coined in the 1930s claiming that only a hero could eat such a large sandwich! I don’t know about that, but I do know that this utterly delicious sandwich loaded with pillowy, soft meatballs, topped with some rich and spicy tomato sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, parmesan and some gem lettuce, served in hot, crispy ciabatta, makes a fabulous, exceptionally tasty and filling meal.

I made this for Charlotte and Andrew with some leftover Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce we had eaten with pasta the day before. It was a perfect mid-week, incredibly quick meal and a wonderful way to create a new dish using up the rest of yesterday’s supper!

How to make Ciabatta Meatball Hero

It is difficult to be specific about quantities, as it will depend on how much of the Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce you have leftover and how many people you are cooking for. As such, I will specify only how I made it – the rest can be done by eye.

Collect all your ingredients together:

ciabatta
olive oil
leftover meatballs and tomato sauce
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
salt
freshly ground black pepper

How to bring it all together:

Halve the ciabatta horizontally and, if necessary, cut again to make 2 smaller sandwiches. Brush with olive and bake in the oven for 8 – 12 minutes until hot, lightly browned and crispy.
As the bread bakes in the oven, reheat the meatballs and sauce. As soon as the ciabatta comes out of the oven, top the base with some meatballs and a little sauce.
Grate some parmesan cheese over the meatballs and over the other half of the bread.
Cover the meatballs with slices of mozzarella cheese and add some salt and pepper to taste.
Pop back in the oven for 8 – 12 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven, top with some lettuce and complete the sandwich by adding the top layer of bread.
Eat immediately!

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Ciabatta Meatball Hero

A delicious sandwich loaded with pillowy, soft meatballs, topped with some rich and spicy tomato sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, parmesan and some gem lettuce, served in hot, crispy ciabatta. Serves – as many as you choose

Course Lunch, Supper

Cuisine Italian-American

Keyword ciabatta, meatballs, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Author Susan

Ingredients

ciabatta
olive oil
leftover meatballs and tomato sauce
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
salt
freshly ground black pepper
lettuce leaves – I used baby gem

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6
Halve the ciabatta horizontally and, if necessary, cut again to make 2 smaller sandwiches. Brush with olive and bake in the oven for 8 – 12 minutes until hot, lightly browned and crispy.
As the bread bakes in the oven, reheat the meatballs and sauce. As soon as the ciabatta comes out of the oven, top the base with some meatballs and a little sauce.
Grate some parmesan cheese over the meatballs and over the other half of the bread.
Cover the meatballs with slices of mozzarella cheese and add some salt and pepper to taste.
Pop back in the oven for 8 – 12 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven, top with some lettuce and complete the sandwich by adding the top layer of bread.
Eat immediately!