Meatball Hero

“Meatballs and spaghetti is a classic; a meatball hero might be even better,” says David Nayfeld, chef at San Francisco’s hit restaurant Che Fico. But don’t get fancy with the sandwich, advises the chef. “You don’t want a crusty bread," Nayfeld says. "You want a soft squishy roll that tastes like you got it at Subway.” By using a soft roll, you won’t exert undue pressure on the meatballs, which might cause them to squish or shoot out from the back of the bun. He recommends topping the hero with pickled peppers. “This is a rich sandwich, so the peppers, with their shot of acid and crunch, are key to its balance,” Nayfeld says. Serve this hero on Father’s Day—it will be a hit with everyone at the table! This recipe is included in Nayfeld's new cookbook, Dad, What’s for Dinner?, featuring dishes that parents and kids can enjoy cooking together.

Ingredients:

For the pomodoro sauce:

  • 3 1/3 cups (27 fl. oz./790 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 24 garlic cloves (from 2 or 3 heads), thinly sliced
  • 8 cans (each 28 oz./794 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 4 bunches fresh basil (6 1/2 oz./180 g total), leaves picked
  • Kosher salt


For the A 100% Chance of Meatballs:

  • 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
  • 1 lb. (455 g) lean ground beef (90/10)
  • 1 lb. (455 g) ground pork
  • 1 large garlic clove, grated
  • 1/4 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
  • 2 fresh oregano sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 1/4 oz./35 g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz./40 g) grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup (1 1/4 oz./35 g) fine dried bread crumbs
  • 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) milk


For the meatball hero:

  • 2 soft bread rolls, hero or sausage rolls
  • 6 meatballs
  • 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) pomodoro sauce
  • 6 slices provolone cheese (6 oz./170 g total)
  • 1 oz. (30 g) Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Pickled peppers for serving (optional)

Directions:

To make the pomodoro sauce, in a large pot over high heat, heat 2 cups (16 fl. oz./470 ml) of the olive oil until warm, not hot. Add the garlic and once it starts to sizzle and becomes fragrant, add the tomatoes, basil and 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./40 g) salt.

Offset the lid and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and keep partially covered. Let the sauce rapidly simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of your pot, stirring occasionally so the sauce does not scorch. As it cooks, the olive oil should float toward the top.

Remove from the heat, add the remaining 1 1/3 cups (11 fl. oz./320 ml) olive oil and slowly mix it in. Stir it for a minute to fully incorporate. This recipe makes about 6 quarts (5.7 l) sauce; you will need 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) sauce for the hero. Refrigerate the rest of this workhorse sauce and serve over pasta or use it in other dishes.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease it with olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, Parmesan, eggs, 1 Tbs. salt and the 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil.

In a small bowl, soak the bread crumbs in the milk until well absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Fold the soaked bread crumbs into the meat mixture. Mix vigorously with your hands until well combined, about 30 seconds. The mixture will be very wet.

Using a #10 (3-oz.) ice cream scoop, form meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (If you don’t have an ice cream scoop, weigh out 3-oz. (85-g) portions on a kitchen scale and with hands greased with olive oil, form into balls.)

Bake the meatballs until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the oven. This recipe makes 18 meatballs; you will need 6 meatballs for the hero. Refrigerate the remaining meatballs to make more heros or serve over pasta with pomodoro sauce.

To make the meatball hero, preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice the rolls open without cutting all the way through.

In a pot or large fry pan, combine the 6 meatballs and the 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) pomodoro sauce, cover and simmer over low heat. (If you don’t have enough sauce to cover the meatballs at least halfway, add 2 Tbs. water and let it cook off.) You can also microwave them, but make sure you cover the container to avoid splatters.

Spoon the hot meatballs in sauce onto the bottom half of each roll. Add extra sauce on top. Set 3 slices of the provolone on top of the meatballs in each sandwich and sprinkle the Parmesan on top of that.

Bake the sandwiches open-faced in the oven until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven. Add the pickled peppers on top of the melted cheese and serve. Serves 2.

Adapted from Dad, What’s for Dinner? by David Nayfeld and Joshua David Stein (Knopf, 2025)