Ingredients
- 1/3 c onion, chopped fine
- 1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs
- 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
- 16 oz ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 Tbsp flax seed, fresh ground (optional)
- 1 loaf italian bread
- 8 oz cream cheese or low-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c mayonnaise or light miracle whip
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella, divided (low fat, if you’d like)
- 26-28 oz spaghetti sauce, meatless (healthy version, if you’d like)
- 1 c water
- 2 clove garlic, minced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a shallow pan with foil; coat foil lightly with nonstick spray.
2. In a bowl, combine onion, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, ground beef or turkey, and ground flax, if desired. Mix well and shape into 1 inch balls; place on prepared pan leaving a little space between each one. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 min or until no longer pink.
3. Lightly coat a 13×9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Arrange Italian bread in a single layer in dish (I like to open the bread up like a sub and cut to fit in dish but however you’d like.) NOTE** All the bread may not fit in dish- that’s ok.
4. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, mayo, Italian seasoning and black pepper. Blend until smooth and well combined. Spread over bread in dish. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese onto cream cheese mixture on bread.
5. In a separate bowl, combine sauce, water and garlic; add the meatballs. Pour over cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
6. Bake, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve hot.
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