The Morton

Overview

Finally, a meatball sandwich that’s more meatball than bread. This version adds ricotta cheese to meatballs, marinara sauce and Tillamook Shredded Italian Blend Cheese. Served on a pedestal of butter-grilled sourdough bread.

"This is the meatball sandwich named after the coolest meatball I know, my dog Morton. Adding a little extra cheesy taste and texture, this sandwich incorporates a fairly untraditional sandwich cheese, Ricotta. Enjoy with an Italian soda, like an arranciata." – Matt Breslow of the Grilled Cheese  Grill

Ingredients

2 eggs
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
2/3 cup of Italian-style breadcrumbs
2 lbs (32 oz) ground beef
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
8 slices of sourdough bread
2 cups (16 oz) marinara sauce
2 cups (8 oz) Tillamook^® Shredded Italian Blend Cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
Tillamook^® Salted Butter

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Make the Meatballs
Crack eggs into a small mixing bowl and scramble.  Add fresh minced garlic, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly to de-clump the garlic. Add breadcrumbs and mix evenly. Put on a pair of kitchen gloves and mix meat directly into the mixture. Knead thoroughly, then place golf ball-sized balls onto a greased sheet pan. Once balls are on the pan, brush each with a little olive oil. This will help them crisp up in the oven.

Bake meatballs in the oven for about 10 minutes, take them out, flip them over, and cook for another 5 minutes. Once meatballs are cooked through, remove from oven.

Heat up a skillet to medium-high. Slice your meatballs into thirds, and mix them in the skillet with your marinara sauce until each meatball is coated with sauce.  

Assemble the Sandwiches
Heat a counter top griddle or frying pan to medium-high heat. Spread ricotta onto half of the slices of bread. Brush melted butter onto the backsides of all slices of bread, and begin browning the bread butter-side down on the grill. Scatter Tillamook Italian Blend Shredded Cheese onto the plain side. Add salt and pepper to the ricotta cheese for flavor. If you have large pot lids, place them over the slices of bread to help the cheese melt faster.  

Stir the meatball marinara mixture and make sure sauce is thoroughly heated. Spoon the meatballs onto the ricotta sides of the bread. Once Tillamook Italian Blend Cheese is melted, close your sandwiches. Press the sandwich together with the backside of a spatula to help form the sandwich. The bread should be well-browned (not burnt) by now, but if not, allow it to continue browning. 

Once they’re done, pull from the griddle, cut, and enjoy!