Drew’s Spaghetti Sandwich With Meatballs

The spaghetti sandwich is a tasty way to use up leftover spaghetti……or a good reason to make spaghetti in the first place.  Make it a spaghetti sandwich with meatballs and it’s a great way to eat spaghetti on-the-go!

My son Drew came up with this idea and I thought why not try it, the combination of garlic bread and spaghetti for dinner is classic, why not make it a sandwich? At first it seems like an odd combination, but think about it. Spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread are a very common dinner combination.

My boss at work always says there are few new ideas in the world, it’s just the way they are executed.  Well, the spaghetti sandwich is spot on with that thought.  When a new recipe idea comes to me I always Google it and am amazed at what pops up.  Lo and behold when I googled Spaghetti Sandwich I found out that it’s a “thing” in Japan and Australia.

 They actually sell these at food shops all over Japan as a grab and go snack.  And if you ever meet an Australian, they will tell you that a spaghetti sandwich was a favorite childhood treat. Simply toast with canned spaghetti.

It’s not so common here in the U.S., but with Drew’s bright idea maybe the spaghetti sandwich with meatballs will gain popularity for pasta lovers on-the-go.

How To Make Drew’s Spaghetti Sandwich

Now let’s see.  I could just put some leftover spaghetti on toasted bread and call it a day.  Good but a little plain.  We came up with using Texas Toast garlic bread for the sandwich.  I bought the premade frozen kind for ease.

If you want to make your own garlic bread buy an unsliced loaf of bread and cut thick, about 1”.  Publix has great bread for this.  You want the bread thick so that it crisps up.  That way the bread doesn’t get soggy from the spaghetti sauce.

And of course you have to have meatballs, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan.  This is sounding more like a meatball sub at this point………..

You can use my homemade meatball recipe or buy meatballs already made.  Several groceries are offering chilled food in the meat department now and often have meatballs.  The packages are mixed in with ground beef or with premade meals.  You can also find them in the frozen section.

When eating, if you find the meatballs fall off the sandwich easily, then cut them in half, much easier to keep a half circle on your sandwich than a rolling ball shape.

The spaghetti sandwich is a great way to make two dinners in one.  Meaning have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner one night and then repurpose it for the Spaghetti sandwich for another dinner or even better, for lunch.  It’s a great way to make spaghetti easy to eat on-the-go, no fork needed.

Speaking of which, you’ll want to cut the spaghetti into smaller pieces so that the sandwich is easier to eat.  You might have fun twirling the long spaghetti noodles around your fork when seated at the table, but when eating a sandwich on-the-go you’ll want to keep the spaghetti between the bread slices and not on your shirt.  Your clients will appreciate that.

Bake or Grill the Spaghetti Sandwich with Meatballs?

Since I’m using frozen Texas toast it just made sense to bake the sandwiches, it’s also less hands-on time.

You’ll want to prepare the garlic Texas toast first following the instructions on the box. Then pile the spaghetti sandwich with meatballs ingredients on one piece of bread, heat in the oven, and when it’s heated through and the mozzarella is melty, top with the reserved pieces of toasted bread. This way the top piece of bread doesn’t get too dark or overdone.

But you can grill the spaghetti sandwich like a grilled cheese in a skillet on the stove if you like.  The only thing I would do differently from a grilled cheese would be to NOT flip the sandwich, it can be messy.  Spread the butter and spices on the bread slices.  Place one piece of bread in the skillet, top with mozzarella cheese, spaghetti, meatballs and Parmesan.  Now place the other piece of bread, buttered side down, next to the sandwich.  Once the bread is toasted, top the half with all of the fixings and you have a perfect on-the-go spaghetti sandwich with meatballs, no flipping required.

I’m also planning on buying a jaffle maker.  It’s a sandwich maker that presses the sides of the bread together so you can make hot pocket type sandwiches.  Seems like it would be good for our spaghetti sandwich.  I’ll update the post once I try it.

Substitutions for Drew’s Spaghetti Sandwich with Meatballs

Spaghetti – use any noodle that you like.  I find the long thin noodles cut up make for a neater sandwich, rather than penne.  And if you are really taxed for time there’s always Spaghettio’s in the canned aisle, I won’t judge.

Texas toast garlic bread – Make your own garlic bread by buttering thick slices of white bread, sprinkle with either garlic salt and/or Nature’s seasoning and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until it browns.  Or make a spaghetti taco and use a tortilla or taco shell.

Marinara sauce – We make huge batches of marinara sauce, bag and freeze it.  Tastes better and is much more economical.  For the recipe I suggest your favorite bottled spaghetti sauce for ease. You can also use our homemade quick tomato sauce.https://www.onthegobites.com/simple-tomato-sauce-for-pizza-or-pasta/

Mozzarella cheese – I prefer fresh but you can buy shredded mozzarella as well.  Or use whatever cheese you think goes with red sauce.  You can also leave the mozzarella completely out, but I do think it helps to hold the spaghetti on the bread.

Parmesan cheese – hard to replace this one guys.  But if you have shredded Romano or Pecorino those are good bets.

Meatballs – Instead of meatballs you can brown ground beef or pork and mix it with the sauce, no need to make them into meatballs.