When I was growing up, we used to LOVE to make meatball subs!! My mom would make the most delicious meatballs and buy the delicious buns and we would stuff those babies so full that the meatballs were falling out. Then we’d add the sauce and we’d be a HUGE mess and so would the table!! By the last few bites, we’d have to resort to using a fork to devour the last scrumptious morsels.
When I planted eggplant in my garden pots, I didn’t realize how much one plant could produce, so three plants yielded me more eggplant than I knew how to handle. I developed some yummy recipes like eggplant lasagna, eggplant chips, eggplant fries, and others, but I still have tons of eggplant left.
This recipe for Meatball Sub Casserole uses eggplant instead of bread, making it low carb and VERY nutritious, but still delicious. By turning it into a casserole, some of the mess was eliminated, but my boys still managed to allow me extra to clean up!
Note: This recipe uses foods from the Portion Fix food lists, so it would be “portion fix approved”. However, I do not have the science to defend the container counts. I simply measured using the containers and made my best estimate. This is NOT a Fixate recipe. It does, however fit the 2B Mindset plate-it method.
**For tips on SIMPLE meal prep, click here**
**For tips on practical portion control, click here**
(Eggplant) Meatball Sub Casserole
Servings: 6
Portion Fix Container Count: 1 Green, 1 Red, ½ blue
Ingredients
– 2 large eggplant, sliced ¼” thick (long or circular)
– 1 pound frozen meatballs, thawed
– 1 jar marinara, no sugar added (homemade is best)
– 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
– ¼ teaspoon pepper
– 15 oz. ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
– 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
– Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400*F and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray both sides of each slice of eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 6-7 minutes, then flip over and cook the other side for another 5. Reduce oven temp to 350*F.
2. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer in greased 9×13 dish, filling in any gaps with smaller pieces of eggplant.
3. In bowl, combine cottage/ricotta cheese and seasonings. Spread over eggplant.
4. Sprinkle with ½ cup cheese.
5. Layer meatballs then sauce.
6. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.
7. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Eggplant Meatball Sub Casserole
A fun, clean, easy alternative to meatball subs that is low carb and veggie heavy. Portion Fix Container Count included. 2B Mindset Friendly
Portion Fix Container Count: 1 Green, 1 Red, ½ blue
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant, sliced ¼” thick (long or circular)
- 1 pound frozen meatballs, thawed
- 1 jar marinara, no sugar added (homemade is best)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray both sides of each slice of eggplant with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 6-7 minutes, then flip over and cook the other side for another 5. Reduce oven temp to 350*F.
- Arrange eggplant slices in single layer in greased 9×13 dish, filling in any gaps with smaller pieces of eggplant.
- In bowl, combine cottage/ricotta cheese and seasonings. Spread over eggplant.
- Sprinkle with ½ cup cheese.
- Layer meatballs then sauce.
- Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
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