Making a great sandwich is truly an art. There has to be a balance of fresh and cooked, warm and cold, crunchy and tender—and, in a perfect world, you get all these flavors and textures in each and every bite. Here, I top Eggplant and White Bean Meatballs with fresh basil; snappy and piquant pickled cherry peppers; caramelized onions and bell peppers; and melted, stringy provolone cheese. Is it art? Perhaps. Either way, it sure is good.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly
- sliced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 sub rolls, halved lengthwise
- 12 to 16 warm Eggplant and White Bean Meatballs or any
- homemade vegetarian meatballs
- ¾ cup favorite marinara sauce
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled, and thinly
- sliced crosswise into ribbons
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- ¼ cup chopped pickled hot peppers, such as cherry
- peppers or giardiniera (optional)
How to Make It
- 1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position, place a rimmed sheet pan on top, and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- 2. Toss the red onion and bell pepper with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the salt, and pepper in a large bowl and turn them out in an even layer onto the heated sheet pan. Roast, stirring after 8 minutes, until the onion and pepper begin to char around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes total. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the onion and pepper to a bowl (don’t wash the sheet pan—you will use it in Step 3).
- 3. Turn the broiler to high. Line the sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the sub rolls on top, cut side up. Brush the cut sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toast them under the broiler until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes (watch the bread closely as broiler intensities vary).
- 4. Remove the top halves from the sheet pan and arrange 3 or 4 meatballs over each bottom half. Lay some onions and peppers over the meatballs, dollop each sub half with 3 tablespoons marinara, sprinkle with basil, and cover each with 2 pieces of provolone cheese. Return the sheet pan to the oven and broil until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Place the pickled peppers (if using) on top of the melted cheese, put the sandwiches together, and serve.
