Print

Big T’s (and MB’s) Meat Sauce Sub

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks. 

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces ground beef
  • 8 ounces ground pork
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup grated)
  • 8 ounces provolone cheese (2 cups grated or chopped)
  • 4 sub rolls
  • 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • Pickled vegetables for serving

Instructions

  1. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Turn the broiler to high; put the rack 6 inches from the heat.
  2. Put the ground beef and pork in the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. Prep: Chop 2 cloves garlic and add them to the skillet.
    Chop 1/4 cup parsley leaves and add it and the oregano to the skillet.
    Grate 1/4 cup Parmesan and add to the skillet.
  4. Stir the meat to break it up a bit and combine all the ingredients. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the meat loses its pink color, 3 to 4 minutes.
  5. Prep: Grate or chop 2 cups provolone.
    Split the sub rolls in half lengthwise with a serrated knife or your fingers, and open them on a rimmed baking sheet, cut sides up.
  6. When the meat loses its pink color, add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily and simmer until it thickens like pasta sauce, about 5 minutes.
  7. Put the rolls under the broiler, turning once until lightly toasted on both sides, 1 to 3 minutes total. Turn the rolls cut sides up; leave the broiler on.
  8. Once the sauce is ready, spoon it onto the bottom halves of the rolls. Scatter the top halves of the rolls with the provolone, return the sandwiches to the broiler, and broil until the cheese is bubbling and browned. Serve right away, with pickled vegetables on the side.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

MB’s Chili Sub Use 8 ounces ground beef instead of the beef-pork combination. Substitute 2 tablespoons chili powder for the oregano and cilantro for the parsley. When you add the tomatoes in Step 4, stir in about 1 3/4 cups cooked or canned kidney beans, drained (one 15-ounce can). For the cheeses, use a Mexican melting cheese like asadero and/or a crumbling cheese like queso fresco or Cotija.

MB’s Curried Tomato Sauce Sub Use 12 ounces ground lamb instead of the beef-pork combination. Substitute 2 tablespoons curry powder for the oregano and fresh mint for the parsley. For the provolone and Parmesan cheeses, use 8 ounces crumbled paneer, or if you can’t find that, feta.

MB’s Vegetarian or Vegan Sauce Sub Substitute 1 medium onion, 1 medium carrot, and 1 large bell pepper, all chopped, for the beef and pork. Increase the oil to 3 tablespoons and sauté the vegetables until they begin to soften, then add the tomatoes and parsley and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. For a vegetarian sandwich, use the cheeses as described in the main recipe; for a vegan sandwich, spread the sauce on both sides of the bread before the final broiling, and garnish the subs with 1/2 cup chopped almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans.