Spanish Gardens Mexican Meatball Subs

Try our Mexican take on an Italian classic. Warm, spicy, and easily customizable, these subs will find a permanent spot in your dinner rotation.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground beef
2 tbsp olive oil, divided 
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup panko
1/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs (white would work just fine too)
1 tbsp Spanish Gardens Taco Seasoning
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
Spanish Gardens Taco Sauce (Mild, Hot, or Extra Hot)
hoagie rolls
queso fresco
toppings: pickled red onions, thinly sliced jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, and whatever else sounds good to you!

Instructions:

Saute the onions and red bell peppers until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

In a large mixing bowl, combine everything from the ground meats through the cilantro, plus a good pinch of salt. Mix well. Use an ice cream scoop to measure the amount, then your hand to shape it into a ball. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet until you’re ready to cook.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown all over, flipping once or twice, about six minutes total. Do this in batches if you need to!

To the skillet Spanish Gardens Taco Sauce, plus 1/4 cup water. Let this simmer on medium for about 15 minutes, letting the meatballs cook all the way through. Spoon out three meatballs (including sauce) into each hoagie roll. Top with a healthy dusting of Queso Fresco, pickled red onions, thinly sliced jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, and/or anything else you love.

Makes 8 hoagies.