The Pioneer Woman's Mini Meatball Sandwiches

I am just coming into the recipes of The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, and subscribe to her newsletter. This was one that popped up that I thought would be perfect for a light dinner. It was. I partnered it with chips and corn on the cob. This made plenty of sandwiches, enough for dinner and lunches the next day. As a bonus, they were just so simple to make. The biggest pain in the rear-end was rolling the meatballs! I made the dish up earlier in the day and then just warmed it up when I got home.

The sandwiches are small enough so they were not overwhelming like the bigger sandwiches are to me. Plus, the bread was much softer than the heavy duty french bread rolls that these sandwiches are normally served on. To boot, they are perfect for wee little hands. 

If using for lunches, just take out the number of meatballs per sandwich and place in a container with two wedges of cheese for each sandwich. Heat up the meatballs in that container and then place on each roll. 

So, here we go!:


Ingredients:
 
1 pound Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef
½ cups Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs ( I used Italian bread crumbs for extra flavor)
1 clove Garlic, Minced (I used 1/2 t. of jarred garlic)
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ cups Milk
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ whole Medium Onion, Diced
1 jar (large) Marinara Sauce
12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Slider Rolls)
4 slices Provolone Cheese, Cut Into Four Wedges Each

Directions:

1) Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Roll into tablespoon sized balls.

2) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for one minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. This might need to be done in batches.

3) Pour in jar of marinara. SHAKE pan gently to mix. DO NOT STIR!

4) Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

5) Cut each dinner roll in half. Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. Spoon a meatball with the sauce onto the bottom bun.