This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carando®. All opinions are 100% mine.
I love Italian food, and I especially love eating at Italian restaurants. Fortunately for me, my husband loves Italian food too. Of course, in order for me to make a dinner that has authentic Italian flavors, I would need to spend a good amount of time in the kitchen… which you know I do not like!
Carando Italian Sausage & Meatballs
When I was at the store the other day, I saw Carando Meatballs in the fresh meat section. I picked up a couple packs of their Abruzzese Italian Meatballs. On the package, it said that they were ‘Italian Style Meatballs’ and that they had a blend of Italian cheese and herbs. Now, I usually purchase frozen meatballs because I am all about convenience – no way I’m making my own meatballs. However, these Carando Meatballs looked like a great idea; still convenient, but not already cooked like the frozen ones. I liked the idea that they were fresh and I hoped that they would taste as good as the package seemed to indicate. As usual, I decided to come up with an easy dinner idea using the Carando Meatballs and I came up with a 5-ingredient casserole version of my favorite meatball sub sandwich. It turned out great, and the Carando Meatballs definitely lived up to the packaging.
5-Ingredient Meatball Sub Casserole
An easy, delicious dinner recipe that requires minimal prep time.
Ingredients
- 24 meatballs (2 packages Carando Abruzzese Italian Meatballs)
- 8 slices garlic bread (1 package Texas Toast garlic bread)
- 24 oz jar marinara sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook garlic bread using the directions on the package.
- Let the garlic bread cool and preheat oven to 350°.
- Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- Put garlic bread in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Cut or tear pieces to fit.
- Cover garlic bread with 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Place meatballs on top of mozzarella cheese.
- Pour marinara sauce over meatballs.
- Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until cheese has melted and meatballs are cooked to 165°.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 section w/ 4 meatballsAmount Per Serving Calories 751Total Fat 48gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 25gCholesterol 109mgSodium 1981mgCarbohydrates 48gFiber 7gSugar 13gProtein 33g
Nutrition information provided by Nutritionix and may not be complete. Please feel free to double check using your favorite nutrition calculator.
The Italian flavors of the Carando Meatballs were perfect in this recipe! My husband and I both had second helpings.
More about Carando
Carando has been using authentic Italian recipes with delicate herbs, peppers, and savory flavors since the early 1900’s. They not only make the awesome meatballs in the recipe above, they also make Italian sausage. Here are the flavors:
- Toscano Italian Sausage – Mild herbs with fennel and anise
- Venetian Italian Sausage – Sweet basil and bell peppers
- Abruzzese Italian Meatball – Blended Italian cheese and herbs
- Sicilian Italian Meatball – Bold & Spicy Red Pepper Flavor
You can use these sausages and meatballs in easy recipes like mine or let their flavors inspire you to come up with your own Italian meal creation! Get more great Carando Recipes and satisfy your hunger for authentic Italian flavors.
Taste of Italy at Kroger
If you are looking for more Italian meal inspiration, you have to attend the Taste of Italy event at select Kroger stores. Find special products, in-store demos, and displays focusing on authentic Italian flavors. The event takes place September 17th – 24th but make sure to check with your local store to verify dates and times. While you wait for the event, check out the Taste of Italy site to get recipes, coupons, sweepstakes, and more!
Which Carando product will you try first?
barb says
These meatballs are lousy. They are hard as a rock and taste like guess what? Italian sausage, nothing like meatballs in texture or taste. Worth passing over these PORK balls in the market!