Meatball sandwich lighter in fat, sodium

The cook in the family will never needs help coming up with an idea for ground beef again with a copy of “The Ultimate Ground Beef Cookbook” around.

Editors from Taste of Home have compiled the best submissions from around the country into this new cookbook. There are 450 recipes inside, including a whole chapter of meatloaf ideas and meatballs.

Here’s a recipe from the book for Open-Faced Meatball Sandwiches that take just 30 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook. It’s also among the selections lighter in calories, fat and sodium.

Open-Faced Meatball Sandwiches

From Karen Barthel, North Canton, Ohio. The recipe was published in Tastes of Home’s “The Ultimate Ground Beef Cookbook.”

1/4 cup egg substitute

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dash salt

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef

2 cups garden-style pasta sauce

4 hoagie buns, split

2 tablespoons part-skim mozzarella cheese

Shredded parmesan cheese, optional

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 40 meatballs. In a large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown meatballs in batches; drain.

Place meatballs in a large saucepan. Add pasta sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Spoon meatballs and sauce onto bun halves; sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrition per serving: 277 calories, 10 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 32 percent fat calories), 20 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, 47 milligrams cholesterol, 506 milligrams sodium.