Italiano!

This was our dinner tonight. I like to make enough food for 2 nights, or whatever is leftover is for lunch the next day. This is a meal for 4 people. Totally quick & easy, almost like having take-out at home! From Rachael Ray 2,4,6,8 Meals for Couples or Crowds. I varied the recipes to my liking, and you can too!

Menu: Chicken Parm Meatball Subs & Shredded Veggie Salad

Shredded Veggie Salad **This salad is similar to the one from Olive Garden**
Ingredients:
2 hearts of romaine, shredded
1 medium beefsteak tomato, halved then very thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded, cored, and very thinly sliced
1/2 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup hot pepper rings or pepperoncini, drained & chopped **I didn't add it in my salad, since DH is a fincky eater about spicy peppers.***
2 tablesppons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of EVOO
Salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 cup shredded parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
In a large bowl, combine the lettuced, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and pepperoncinis. Dress with the vinegar, EVOO, salt & pepper. Top it off with the grated cheese.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound of ground chicken
1 tablespoon of grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
Handfull of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 tablespoons EVOO
2 large garlic cloves, cracked from their skins & split
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a couple of healthy pinches
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, or puree works, too
1 cup of chicken stock
Salt & black pepper
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, torn or shredded
4 6 to 8 inch crusty sub rolls. I loved Sourdough or French bread from Sara Lee. Nice soft bread is just as good.
4 slices of Provolone cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the chicken in a bowl and season it with grill seasoning. Add the egg, half of the grated cheese, the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, oregano, and a serious drizzle of EVOO. Combine the mixture & form 12 to 15 large meatballs, placing them on a baking sheet. *It's going to be a little messy handling the meat, make sure to wash your hands anytime you handle the meat.* Squish the balls to flatten them a bit - like mini oval meat loaves. Be careful not form the balls wider than yoru bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub---no roll aways! Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes, or until golden and firm. Switch the boiler on.

While the chicken balls bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the 3 tablespoons of EVOO & the garlic & cook them for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic, add the red peper flakes and the tomatoes, then stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt & pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings & stir in the basil. *You can make the salad while you wait for the sauce to simmer.*

Use a thin spatula to loosen the chicken balls from the baking sheet and add them to the sauce, turning the meatballs to coat.

Cut the rolls, making the bottom a little deeper than the top. *I love eating the middle part of the bread!* Hollow out a little of the bread and lightly toast the rolls under the broiler. *I toasted my bread & put the cheese on the bottom.* Filled the bottoms of the breads with the sauced meatballs. Cover the meatballs with the cheeses and return to the broiler to melt the cheese until it's golden. Set the roll tops in place. Pour any leftover sauce into a bowl, and serve at the table for dipping.

Enjoy!