Recipe Rescue: Lighter Side of a Meatball Sandwich

One of my favorite sandwiches at a popular sub shop is the meatball sandwich, that is until I learned that it was the most calorie packed choice on the menu, to the tune of 860 calories and 2,480 mg of sodium. Now, when I crave that goodness, I slim it down at home.

What You'll Need:

1 lb of ground turkey (not pre seasoned), 1 small onion diced fine, 1Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup of Italian cheese blend, 1/2 cup milk and 1 egg.

Putting it all Together:

Pre Heat oven to 425 degrees

In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients adding the milk last. (do this slowly, you want a wet mixture, but not one that falls apart, you should be able to make balls out of the mixture-about the size of an ice cream scoop) Just as with hamburger meat you do not want to work the ground turkey too much, just fold it into itself a few times-don't go after it like you're needing bread dough. Place the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet or spray the sheet with cooking spray. Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes, pull from oven and put into sauce. Line a whole wheat 'hoagie' roll with four meatballs and sauce, top with more cheese if desired and place under the broiler until cheese melts and starts to brown.

The final numbers on this version of a favorite compared to the 'original' a significantly lower.

This recipe: 457 calories and 564 mg of sodium

The sub shop recipe: 630 calories and 1,655 mg of sodium (that is with cheese)

***For the sauce use 1 large can of tomato puree seasoned with a drizzle of olive oil, tsp of garlic, a dash of oregano and s/p to taste. Let this simmer on low while you do the prep for the meatballs-so I typically start the sauce first.